Electronic Arts (EA), a prominent gaming company, is considering the inclusion of advertisements in its traditional AAA games. These high-quality video games are typically purchased upfront by players at a cost of $70 each.
During a Q&A session at the corporation's recent earnings call, an analyst suggested the potential for more dynamic ad placement within these AAA games. In response, EA's CEO, Andrew Wilson, noted the company has teams researching and developing thoughtful strategies for incorporating ads within their games.
It's worth noting that EA has experimented with in-game advertising previously. In the case of UFC 4 in 2020, they inserted full-screen ads for the TV show "The Boys." However, this move was met with negative feedback from players who felt the commercials were intrusive and disrupted gameplay, prompting EA to revoke the ads.
Wilson further stated that given the billions of hours spent playing, creating, watching, and connecting via video games, advertising could be a significant driver of growth for the company. This isn't entirely new in the gaming industry — previous games such as Adventureland, Tapper, and Burnout Paradise have included commercials as a method of additional revenue generation.
