EA Exec Doesn’t Want In-Game Ads to Feel Forced: “It Has to Make Sense for The Game”

Gaming has changed a lot over the years, shifting from a niche activity for kids to a massive global phenomenon that has influenced the culture around it. With movies and TV series on games starting to become the new normal, we may also see a push for ads in PC games soon. EA’s new ad business plans already target that, and now EA’s ad business boss wants developers to embrace in-game ads and start integrating them so as not to feel forced on players.

EA’s Ad Chief Doesn’t Want In-Game Ads to “Frustrate Players”

In a recent interview with The Game Business, EA’s ad head, Alexander Dao, spoke extensively on ad integrations in future games. The executive spoke with great enthusiasm about the huge opportunity in in-game advertising within PC and console games. Alongside that, he also wants ads to not feel forced.

“It has to make sense for the game. It’s easier to imagine what that looks like with sports because what you’re really trying to do is mirror the real-world experience. But if we pull on the thread of… how do we actually understand what the players want? The progression? And can brands be a part of that experience?” said Dao.

He continued, “If done appropriately, with the right brands, with the right title, and an understanding of what the players ultimately want, it can drive that type of experience. But it is a bit nuanced title-by-title to make sure that you’re getting it right and it doesn’t feel random.”

To cite an example, Dao described how well the collaboration with Coach in The Sims received positive feedback from players. “What we did with Coach was democratize access to their products to The Sims community. [Coach] didn’t want it to be a paid product [in the game]. They just wanted to drop their entire product line, put it in front of the community, and surprise and delight them. When we did that, the socials blew up. Everybody was talking about it”, explained Dao.

EA’s new ad business plans had already been announced earlier, and they revolved around advertising inside their sports games. EA plans to use in-game assets like billboards, side TV panels, clothing, and much more to integrate ads. For example, Rockstar Games has had fake ads for years in GTA games, and GTA 6 will have them as well. Replacing those with actual brands in the real world wouldn’t be that big of a hassle.

This will allow EA to swap in the brand that bids for it, like adding a clothing brand to an in-game clothing asset. 007 First Light also seamlessly added many brands into their games, which didn’t feel forced.

However, Alexander realizes that it is much easier to do with sports games compared to the other genres. According to him, to make it happen throughout gaming, developers have to embrace ads and start integrating them as part of a narrative design.

The only thing I hope from all of this is that the in-game advertisement doesn’t reach “The Truman Show” level. I do not want my in-game characters to suddenly turn towards the screen to talk about “Cheetos” while in the middle of a battlefield. In-game advertising has been a taboo subject for a while, especially due to its blatant usage on mobile games.

Similar advertisements have also made their way to PC games in recent years, and I can wholeheartedly say that no gamer wants more of it. However, the future of ads is in video games, and EA’s plans may be looking at the right approach

But what if players get frustrated by unnecessary product placement or ads in the middle of a game? To this, Dao said, “If something isn’t working and isn’t landing the way that we thought it would, quite frankly, we just pull it.” While the exec has boldly stated the above, I highly doubt a multi-million dollar deal would be randomly pulled out of a game that’s paying the bills over at EA.