In-game ad firm IGA Worldwide announced today that it landed one of the biggest fish in the online gaming pond, signing an exclusive agreement with Valve to provide dynamic advertising to the first-person shooter Counter-Strike. IGA Worldwide hasn't said what form its ads will take in Counter-Strike, or when they will first begin appearing. The firm most recently found itself in gamers' cross-hairs after a disclaimer about the company's in-game ad technology was included in boxed copies of Electronic Arts' Battlefield 2142. When users claimed the disclaimer was a cover for installing spyware on users' machines, IGA CEO Justin Townsend strenuously denied the accusation, and said the only data the company retrieves from a user's computer has to deal with where they live (so localized ads can be targeted), as well as what ads they see, how large, and from which angle.

I'm worried about what the mercyless Counter-Strike community will do, you know what they're like.

If these ads are on the walls, will it be possible to spray over them?

i think if they make the advertisment that flow well with the game and don't stand out, then gamers will be happy about it. it could make the games more real world like.

Yeah as long as it isn't "IN YOUR FACE! LOOK AT MY PRODUCT" kind of stuff then I'll be fine.

this dosn't bother me that much.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=AZUmd-EWIgM

EA is big into the advertising....need for speed had axe, bk, others

they advertised for there own games in burnout 3.

i think if they make the advertisment that flow well with the game and don't stand out, then gamers will be happy about it. it could make the games more real world like.Yep, what he said. A billboard or two I woudlnt mind, maybe the game would look more realistic. But if we have the Burger King running around in the heat of battle handing you coupon pins..... yeah...

Yep, what he said. A billboard or two I woudlnt mind, maybe the game would look more realistic. But if we have the Burger King running around in the heat of battle handing you coupon pins..... yeah...

Actually that would be pretty freaking awesome...

Think of a big poster board saying, "Cingular Mobile" in DE_DUST. Lmfao.

A day in Battlefield 2 with ads:

"Random guy,we are ready to drop."
"Paracheuts ready?"
"Yes,they're ready.Keep the aircraft away from us."
"Roger,you have green light!"
"Alright,JUMP!"
*Flying soldiers ZOMG!...And they've landed*
"Alright team,move on!"
*5 minutes later*
"Alright,we have to plant a bomb there.Move carefully"
"*pant pant* Must mov--"
"HIYA FOLKS!IT'S ME BURGER KING!And i'm here to hand you...Coupon Pins!"
"OH YEAH!COOL!Wait..Uh oh..."
*TRA TATA TATATATATATATA*

A day in Battlefield 2 with ads:

"Random guy,we are ready to drop."
"Paracheuts ready?"
"Yes,they're ready.Keep the aircraft away from us."
"Roger,you have green light!"
"Alright,JUMP!"
*Flying soldiers ZOMG!...And they've landed*
"Alright team,move on!"
*5 minutes later*
"Alright,we have to plant a bomb there.Move carefully"
"*pant pant* Must mov--"
"HIYA FOLKS!IT'S ME BURGER KING!And i'm here to hand you...Coupon Pins!"
"OH YEAH!COOL!Wait..Uh oh..."
*TRA TATA TATATATATATATA*

uhh.. 500 spams? *look at rank*


also, I was bout to say the thing about EA. they've been advertising for ages, not to mention NFS has plenty of brand name car gear in it, don't think that's advertising..

uhh.. 500 spams? *look at rank*


also, I was bout to say the thing about EA. they've been advertising for ages, not to mention NFS has plenty of brand name car gear in it, don't think that's advertising..

Uhh...Chocolate milk? *looks down to you're pants*



Don't forget ATI/Nvidia advertises,those are the most common.I swear i'm sick of those for every game i buy -..-.

But advertising in games been happening for a while.Nike/Adidas shoes,car brands...The list goes on.

In-game advertising is not legal in Australia. Sucks for you guys.

I think subliminal messages are getting more and more common in games. This is an article from Maximum PC.
I was floored by the deluge of feedback I received about my Battlefield 2142 Review. It turns out that you guys don't really like in-game ads in any form- at least you don't think you do. You guys are even talking about boycotting every game that uses in-game ads. But not all in-game ads are bad.

The problem with the game industry is that development costs are skyrocketing. A triple-A, single-player title shipping this holiday probably cost $20 million to create. Games that include copious content- like MMOs- can cost twice that. And development costs are only going up in the future.

To break even on a $20 million game, the developer needs to sell more then 400,000 copies at $50 a pop. Now 400,000 doesn't sound like a lot of copies, but it is- especially for a single platform title, and especially if that platform is the PC. To put the number in perspective, Half-Life 2 is one the the best PC shooters ever, and it's only moved 4 million copies since 2004.

While the cost of game development has skyrocketed over the last 10 years, the price of the games has remained relatively steady. We're just now making the jump from $50 to $60, and only for PS3 and Xbox 360 games, so far. Although games are selling more copies, developers and publishers still have to recoup massive development costs- not to mention the losses on failed games.

To cover the gap, some companies have embraced subscription models, where you pay a monthly fee to play. Other publishers have boosted revenue by selling small add-ons that enhance the base game. But in-game advertising isn't anything new. Companies have been placing ads in their games for several years. These ads aren't all banners or billboards; there are pop soundtracks and in-game product placements too.

As the trend continues, there will inevitably be some offensive in-game ads, but most are inoffensive and won't hurt up (or our hobby). Here's my rule: "In game ads shouldn't distract me from the game I'm playing." They should fit with the setting. They shouldn't be animated or use a distracting color palette. And they shouldn't collect any more information about me than a similar web ad would.

If in-game ads let developers make more innovative games, without passing the added cost to me, then I say, "Bring 'em on"- as long as they follow my rule.

~Will

I'm sorry if I made a lot of spelling errors; I was copying out of the magazine, and wasn't looking. >_> If I'm breaking any copyright law, PM me and I'll take this off.

dang they cant get enough money, can they? people are going to like make bullet holes in the ads in funny places, and itll be funny XD . i know i am. i hope its in like city maps, and not on a map where there would nt be any ads, like dust. i wonder if people can mod the maps to take the ads off. the make makers would be soooooo pissed.

The best place IMO would be on loading screens in online mode. I mean, there's nothing going on, and if there's like a funny add, people can laugh. You know, like they have at the movies if you get there really early before the movie. They have those slow moving slides that have little adds on them? Awkward.

Just as long it does not affect my game then i'm fine with it.

i didnt realize it takes 20 million to make a AAA game. Thats insane. Perhaps everyting is overpriced?:(