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In-Game Ads Necessary?
GameDailyBiz is reporting on the increasing frequency with which real-world ads are being included in online game worlds and single-player titles. They discuss the possibility that, with the increasing costs of developing hit games, such measures may be a requirement. There also some callous examination of developer motives. From the article: "Right now, the fact that publishers are putting so much emphasis on multiplayer online play and replay ability is in some ways actually hurting their bottom line. While it's true that an excellent online portion of a title will move some additional copies, who knows how many potential future sales are lost. Whether gamers spent 100 hours with Halo 2 thanks to Xbox Live or 15 hours with Ninja Gaiden, both publishers sold their products for the same $50 MSRP.
If I have a game that's fun to play, but that I don't want to replay, I'm much more likely to give it to a friend. In some cases I won't buy a game like that because I know I can just wait a couple weeks, and get for free from a friend. On the other hand, if a game is still playable for a long time I'm going to hang on to it. Thus my friends will have to buy their own copies, which increases sales.