Of course, Microsoft did this with the Xbox 360 nearly two years ago - but then again, they do own Massive.

At the same time, in-game ad firm IGA Worldwide announced today that it has signed an exclusive two-year deal with Electronics Arts to provide dynamic in-game ads for Sony Playstation 3 games.

In the press release, Justin Townsend, CEO of IGA said:

"We are thrilled at this opportunity to expand our strong relationship with EA and are pleased to have been selected to support EA and Sony on this new venture. It's exciting that the PS3 has opened up and marketers will now have access to the platform, as this represents a tremendous opportunity for brands targeting a valuable and hard-to-reach audience, plus it sends a clear message that dynamic in-game advertising has arrived as a compelling medium for marketers."

At the same time, Elizabeth Harz, EA's Senior Vice President of Global Advertising Sales said:

"EA is committed to providing both great entertainment experiences for consumers and effective advertising solutions for marketers. Dynamic in-game advertising is an important growth area for our business, and we are excited to partner with IGA to provide industry leading in-game marketing."

Aha, there's some honesty. "Dynamic in-game advertising is an important growth area." In other words, we need / want more money, and this is a great way to get some.

While Massive's study indicated the gamers had a positive response to dynamic in-game ads, all the gamers I know (including myself) hate it. On some terms, it feels like ... well, "I already paid for the game, why are you subjecting me to some garbage I don't want? Oh, and if you're going to do that, how about lowering the prices of games, eh?"

Yes, yes, I know, they are corporations and they need to make money.

Source: By Tech Ex http://technologyexpert.blogspot.com/

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