Massive Ads In Matrix Online

Gamespot has the word that ads from Massive, Inc. will now be incorporated into The Matrix Online. The ads, like those in sister-MMOG Planetside, will be in the form of billboards and signage. From the article: "One big difference that players will notice is that the Massive ads will be refreshed and updated with greater frequency. Sony notes that current ads in the game for fictional products and services will continue to remain a part of the game. Sony has also said that the ads will not be animated, and will not affect the game's performance. Another effect of the inclusion of Massive ads into The Matrix Online is that player advertising in Mega City will be possible, and Sony might run contests in the future to select player-generated ads and incorporate them in the game. "

Comments

Re:Anarchy Online did this

[KrisW]

Just a bit of extra info for folks who have never played AO: Subscriptions are still necessary for the expansion packs, but classic AO is ad supported. Paid accounts have the option to turn the ads off. So, to an extent, Funcom is also supported by two revenue streams.

I agree with your post - in game advertising in addition to a monthly fee is just plain silly. Although, now that I think about it, I'd probably leave the ads on even if a had a paid AO account (I'm on a free one) just to see the player created ones. It would be an entirely different story if the game had popup ads and a "punch the monkey" banner at the top of the screen though.