The Next Step For The FPS - Advergames?

simoniker writes "The CEO of Vancouver company Threewave, famous for creating Capture The Flag, has been explaining their current project — multiple versions of a free, ad-supported FPS: 'We'd like to provide sponsored content that also supports the brand of the FPS, allowing it to have a whole stream of maps that are available month after month, featuring different product placement each time. Maybe in a Jeep-Chrysler level you'll be able to drive their vehicles. Maybe a Pepsi branded level where you jump through a Pepsi logo to materialise somewhere else.' He also noted: 'For example, one of the projects that we completed recently... features terrorists taking over the Alienware computer factory.'"

Comments

Um, already done?

[Anonymous Coward]

Wasn't there a cereal-themed FPS that used to come in boxes of Chex or something? Am I the only one who remembers this?

Ads in other games

[Hahnsoo]

This is old news. Quite a few games have blatant product placements (and some games are virtual ads all by themselves... I know of more than one cereal that has their own labeled game in specially-marked boxes). In one relatively recent example, Anarchy Online has rotating ad billboards all over the place, although if you are a subscriber then you can turn them off... it's a great way to subsidize the "fr00bs", or the free-to-play accounts. America's Army is one big PR ad for the US military. I'm sure the /.ers can come up with many other examples. If I'm not paying for something, I'm happy to support a game through slightly-obtrusive ads (The price of "free"-dom, hah). If I am paying for something, though, then there had better be a good reason that the ads are there.

Re:Ads in other games

[smithbp]

All of the major sports games that are out right now, marketed by EA, include some form of advertisement, for among other things, the developers and various drink companies, etc. In an advergame, it's ok, because that advertising is paying for you to have that game in hand, but in a game that I am spending my hard earned money on, it is not appreciated. It's a similar situation to the forced "previews" that come on many dvds now. They are there to try to sell you something additional, not to pay for what you already own. I fully understand the advergaming ads, I just wish they would stay the hell out of the games that I am spending my $$$ on.

They will charge more for the ads.. and get it

[jmorris42]

No, you guys aren't cynical enough. They will stuff in ads and raise prices.. and people will pay.

Go to your friendly neighborhood Walmart (or Target, K-Mart, etc) sometime and look around. Especially in the stuff aimed at kids. You almost can't avoid buying co-marketed merchandise. I was commenting on just that last week while in Wallyworld. They still have a few copies of Memory(tm) in the original flavor... but you can see the way the wind blows with the much larger stack of Dora the Explorer and Disney co-branded copies of Memory, selling at $2 more. Yup, people pay more to get the ad for the TV shows. Try to buy a kid a puzzle with a generic picture on it. No can do, all they have is stuff enblazoned with some franchise character or another. Almost half of the toy aisle is stuff co-branded with a TV show or movie. Now go to the clothing dept and find a childrens shirt without a franchise character or an outright product ad on it. If you look you can still find un branded stuff, but that isn't what is selling, just look at the other customers.

The question of advertising in games isn't when is it coming, the only question I have is why hasn't it happened yet? Best guess is because games get played long enough most ads would 'date' the game too much. That and they could get really burned if events hammers em between a game going gold and release. Imagine the PR nightmare if Nike inserts a set of ads with some sports star who gets busted for dope, accused of rape or overdoses yet millions of games are heading to stores too late to recall and repress.

Give em a network connection to update the ads to the current crappy movie being hyped to death or the current ad campaign and watch out.