In-game ads go PlanetSide

By Corey Brotherson Published 9 August, 2005

It was only a matter of time.

Billboard commercials will appear in Sony Online Entertainment's PlanetSide this month, streaming ads into the massively-multiplayer first-person shooter's in-game universe.

The inevitable move is part of a deal between Sony and in-game ad network Massive, which has also worked with Ubisoft and Vivendi. While no specific advertisers have currently been listed to start beaming obvious/subliminal adverts into your PlanetSide-playing brain, the deal is said to lend financial support to increase the community development, for features and such.

And, of course, sell you on lots of tasty products sold at your local supermarket, for low low low prices. We can't wait!

Comments (25) Latest comment 7 years ago

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  • V0oD0o #1 7 years ago

    Lets hope that Sony buy the URLs BEFORE they put them in the game... ;)

  • jellyhead #2 7 years ago

    Just wondering, Is anyone *actually* influenced by in-game ad's?
    As in, see an advert and think, wow i really need some (brand name) Fizzy Pop?
    Wipeout didn't make me drink Red Bull or am i just 'special'?
    Edited by 2 at 09/08/05 @ 13:21

  • Teeth #3 7 years ago

    You might be walking dead tired down the street one day and thinking "I could use a red bull right now", and you wouldn't know whether or not you'd have thought that if you hadn't seen the advert, that's the way it works.

  • MBar #4 7 years ago

    / memories of Tiger Woods pointing at you around every corner in Burnout 3

    fuck off, Tiger, if that is your real name!

  • jellyhead #5 7 years ago

    The only time i drink Red Bull is when there are some Tequilla's in it and/or some vodka. Tastes like pish otherwise.
    Other than that i'm a coffee/water/milkshake/coffee/tea/coffee man, tend not to drink pop.

    I must be playing these games with my eyes closed, Tiger in B3? i'll have to fire that up again tonight.
    Edited by 1 at 09/08/05 @ 13:31

  • brokenkey #6 7 years ago

    or, you drink a red bull and then get the urge to pull a gun on someone and shoot them dead.

  • Dizzy #7 7 years ago

    Planetside? Anyone still playing this?

  • Teeth #8 7 years ago

    "or, you drink a red bull and then get the urge to pull a gun on someone and shoot them dead."

    Oh man, the times I've done that, honestly. I think they put something in that stuff.

  • tonynibbles #9 7 years ago

    JELLYHEAD - Just wondering, Is anyone *actually* influenced by in-game ad's?
    As in, see an advert and think, wow i really need some (brand name) Fizzy Pop?

    But do the TV adverts for a Renault Clio make you go out and buy one? Or do the annoying 'be happy' Coka Cola adverts make you go out and instinctively buy Coka Cola?

    All adverts have an effect on how we shop, whether we like it or not - none of us are immune. The more places they put ads, the more people know the brands, the more comformatable they feel about the brands and the more willing they will be to spend their hard earned cash on those brands.
    We spend hours infront of TVs, watching TV programmes - and spending hours infront of screens playing games is no different and a good opportunity for those people who already have too much money to make some more.

  • tubeoftoothpaste #10 7 years ago

    I once played Robocod and and went out and bought a penguin so i think it works.

  • apolloscollapse #11 7 years ago

    YEAH! Another strike towards the total commercialisation of videogames. YEAH!
    Edited by 1 at 09/08/05 @ 14:41

  • Sko #12 7 years ago

    "Sir, I'm pleased to say we've had 100% impact with the entire playerbase of Planetside!"

    "Really? You're kidding me? All 7? Excellent! Ker-ching!"

    "Yes, all 7 players have stopped and glanced at the adverts. Though, five of them are cancelling their accounts out of disgust. Plus, the other two are both on the same side."

    "Oh crap..."

  • bionutz #13 7 years ago

    lol!

  • windflaw #14 7 years ago

    I could just about live with in-game ads if they only appeared on destructible scenery...

  • Teeth #15 7 years ago

    What if it were just hundreds of pictures of your mate Ads, who likes to pull funny faces when you catch him on the camera phone?

  • TedBaker #16 7 years ago

    Adverts in games are fine, so long as I'm not playing F.E.A.R (or a similar game that isn't as boring) and a panty liner advert (expressing the wonders of bigger wings!) pops up round the corner. Though for some of EG's younger readers, that may be scary. Maybe.
    Edited by 1 at 09/08/05 @ 15:27

  • rinoaMW #17 7 years ago

    right, if this happens in everquest 2, i'm leaving.. can you imagine, you just stroll into town after days out in the wilderness to be greated by a new 'billboard';

    "Why not quench your thirst after a long battle with lucozade... it will give you the energy to carry on...."

    please, is no medium safe?

    not to mention the fact the setting is less than ideal for 'modern' day ads. I play games to escape reality not be bombarded by it.

    maybe it works in Planetside, but i can just see some bright sony online spark saying.... "well it worked in planetside... so why not out other products"

    "ke-ching"

    ....bastards! }:(

  • jellyhead #18 7 years ago

    I read somewhere that the only way this kind of thing can work is if it "fits" the game's scenario and atmosphere, otherwise it will just engender bad feelings towards the advertised product and the developers and people will just hack the adverts out.
    I pray your fears never come true rinoaMW but the cynic/skeptic in me is screaming at the moment.

    Mind you Neutralia adverts would work in any game! :D
    Neutralia - sort of safe for work
    Edited by 1 at 09/08/05 @ 17:24

  • AOFanboi #19 7 years ago

    *Phone rings in Funcom HQ, Oslo*
    - Hi, this is, um, a fan, I noticed you use ads in your free version of Anarchy Online. Do they work?
    - Yah, we are rolling in teh dough, players have no problems accepting that Sprite Zero and Mötley Crüe are still around 30,000 years into the future.
    - Oh, that sounds interesting...
    - Say, you shouldn't happen to be a Sony Online Entertainment rep? You sound like a weasel.
    - What? Er, gotta go, EQ customer rep on the stove!
    *slam*

  • Paul_Stephen_Patters #20 7 years ago

    Well, the idea is sound business wise, and so long as the advertising doesn't intrude on the actual enjoyment of the games, then I personally see no problem witrh this move, especially if it generates more money to be used for games development.

  • Wobble #21 7 years ago

    When the companies go out of their way to make the ads 'fit in' to the game then it's not a bad thing.
    Like AOfanboi's just said, we've had this in AO for ages now, some ads are crap and look out of place, others in the rotation have actually made a bit of effort and pitching their add to the community playing, and those I imagine will be more beneficial.

    I think it adds realism anyway, what city is not going to have advertising in it? It's such a fundimental part of an urban landscape now that we just ignore it. (at least at a conscious level)
    /likes the video clip ones the best

  • Tiger_Walts #22 7 years ago

    I could just about live with in-game ads if they only appeared on destructible scenery...

    You never played Mercenary then?

  • Mox #23 7 years ago

    In other news, Eurogamer's badly-written* advert code continue to annoy Firefox :)

    *not necessarily written by Eurogamer staff, of course.

  • Wobble #24 7 years ago

    adblock and flashblock 4tw!

  • Mox #25 7 years ago

    It's fun to see the errors pop up though. Can't open a CDATA block in a javascript section - that's not valid!