The Blubber

EA is looking at putting in-game ads in AAA games, per Toms Hardware.

EA CEO Andrew Wilson has confirmed that the company is considering incorporating ads into traditional AAA games—those that players typically purchase up-front for around $70. During the Q&A segment of EA’s latest earnings call, Eric Sheridan from Goldman Sachs inquired about the potential for dynamic ad insertion in these high-profile games. Wilson responded, saying, "Advertising has an opportunity to be a meaningful driver of growth for us," and added, "we have teams internally in the company right now looking at how we do very thoughtful implementations inside of our game experiences."

The inclusion of in-game ads is seen as a natural progression in advertising, especially given the gaming industry is projected to grow to $583 billion by 2030. While some players view these ads as distractions, others accept them as a part of the experience as long as they are seamlessly integrated and do not interfere with gameplay by being too intrusive or disruptive.

However, EA has faced criticism for poorly implemented in-game ads in the past. In 2020, the company inserted full-screen ads for the TV show "The Boys" into UFC 4, which disrupted gameplay and was met with backlash from players. This negative response led EA to quickly remove the ads.

In-game advertising is not a new concept in the gaming industry. The first recorded instance of in-game ads was in the 1978 game Adventureland, which promoted its sequel, Pirate Adventure. In 1983, the arcade game Tapper, sponsored by Anheuser-Busch, featured a prominent Budweiser logo and was designed for bars. The logo was replaced by Root Beer in 1984 to make the game suitable for arcades accessible to minors.

As the gaming market expanded in the 1990s and 2000s, many companies sought to capitalize on its potential. Games like Zool and Push-Over prominently featured products like Chupa Chups and Quavers, while others, such as Pepsi Man, served as blatant advertisements.

EA’s 2004 release, Need for Speed: Underground 2, is well-known for its in-game ads displayed on billboards throughout the open world, featuring real-world brands like Best Buy, Burger King, and Cingular, which some argue added to the game's realism.

In 2006, GameSpot confirmed EA's commitment to dynamic ads in its games, with titles like Need for Speed Carbon and Battlefield 2142 among the first to include them. By 2008, Burnout Paradise, another popular EA title, featured political ads for then-Senator Barack Obama’s 2008 US Presidential election campaign.