Electronic Arts, the publisher of most sports games on the market, Battlefield, Mass Effect, and plenty of other huge franchises, is considering putting ads inside its video games as another source of revenue. This isn’t the first time the company has done this, but given how poorly it’s gone in the past, I’m surprised EA is still giving it thought.
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News of this came from the company’s May 7 earnings call (thanks, GameSpot), in which EA CEO Andrew Wilson was asked about “dynamic ad insertion” within AAA games, and if he thought this was a possible source of cashflow for the company. Wilson said EA sees advertising as a possible “meaningful driver of growth,” but wants to be “thoughtful” about how ads could be implemented into its games. His full quote on the matter reads as follows:
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A lot of flowery language about community building to try and explain why a game you’ve bought might be trying to sell you more unrelated bullshit in the coming years. But EA has already tried this multiple times before, and the community it’s talking about building reacted very poorly. Back in 2020, EA put ads into UFC 4 for The Boys that would pop up in the middle of fights. The backlash prompted EA to remove them, but perhaps flashing a logo during a match isn’t the “thoughtful” implementation Wilson has in mind. And of course, advertising isn’t exclusive to selling you on watching a television show. EA has also partnered with political candidates like former U.S. president Barack Obama, whose campaign was advertised in Burnout Paradise. I’m excited for the next Mass Effect to launch with a big ol’ Doritos logo plastered on the side of my spaceship.
