EA Executive Wants Developers to Embrace In-Game Ads

An executive at Electronic Arts believes that developers should begin considering in-game advertising as a part of their process.

The world of gaming is rapidly changing as AI becomes a staple in development, physical media appears to be being phased out by the major players in the industry, and major cuts and shake-ups across developers have studios looking for new sustainability methods. In-game advertisements have been discussed for PC and console experiences.

Of course, mobile games have them, but including such features in a traditional console or PC game would be a fundamental shift from what players are used to. At least one executive at Electronic Arts is now making the case that everyone should consider such a move.

EA Executive Says In-Game Ads Should Be Part of Game Development

Speaking with The Game Business, Alexander Dao, VP of advertising and sponsorship at Electronic Arts, explained that there’s a huge opportunity for built-in ads in gaming, not only for new games but for existing ones as well.

“As you think about new games that are coming out, as you think about free-to-play experiences that are happening on the console side… like our Skate game. Those are opportunities where, if you actually design them with the right advertising and brand experience in there from the get-go, it just makes it easier. It makes it feel more native, and it creates more flexibility in the types of brands that can come in and out. So, I do see a big opportunity there,” he said.

EA’s current advertising platform is beginning with a focus on sports titles. The system is integrated with the Frostbite engine and enables potential advertisers to place ads in various in-game locations. EA has even been working with the Interactive Advertising Bureau and Integral Ad Science to help standardize how ads are measured and when they appear. Dao believes these partnerships can be the anchor of the entire in-game advertising division.

“When we think about in-game measurement and viewability standards, how do we make sure that’s consistent so that when other publishers and platforms also do this, and we share back reports to the brand or the marketer, they’re seeing consistency? And they know that it’s showing up the way that it should be showing up, and it’s being measured the way that it should be measured. Some of the things that we’re doing here, I believe, will drive a bit more consistency and standardization [across the industry].”

How would you feel about advertisements becoming a standard in games? Would you be okay with in-game ads if they were placed in a way that wasn’t massively invasive? Sound off about this story and all others in our official Discord server.

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