It seems EA remembered its rather controversial 2008 marketing tactics, because today’s news sounds like a real blast from the past. On the company’s website this morning, EA announced that it has started by a new advertising arm called, fittingly, EA Advertising. While innocent in and of itself, the description of what EA intends to do with this new branch of its business is enough to make you sick.
“EA Advertising is expanding EA’s ecosystem by enabling brands to integrate directly into gameplay through dynamic, real-time placements,” the press releases reads, “from stadium signage to custom in-game content, designed to enhance, not disrupt, the player experience.” That sure sounds a lot like those Barack Obama campaign ads that appeared in Burnout: Paradise, Need for Speed Carbon, NBA Live 08, and other sports titles.
The wording is a little tricky here, but it seems brands have already partnered with EA and will be delivering ads in select titles soon. Visa, for instance, should show up in EA Sports FC and EA Sports College Football. Hardware store Lowe’s will make an appearance in Madden NFL, FC, and College Football. Mountain Dew is also said to be among the many advertisers wishing to market directly to gamers, which is the least surprising of any company on the list.
David Tinson, chief experiences officer for EA, said, “Players come to EA’s games and live experiences every day to play, watch, create and connect. That gives brands a meaningful opportunity to show up in ways that add value and respect the player experience, while maintaining authenticity in the worlds our teams are building. With EA Advertising, we’re helping brands become part of those moments in ways that are relevant and built for players.”
I’m old enough to remember when games had in-game advertising all over the place. The sixth console generation was rife with that, notoriously slapping ads all over open-world games with the excuse of creating a more believable world. That stuff slowed down in the following generation, though cross-promotion with in-game items became the rage during the eighth console gen. I guess we’re going backwards now.
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Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
