Gamasutra reports that Electronic Arts, Activision and THQ have all signed with Massive to provide in-game ads for their upcoming games for the PC. It's also apparently renewed their agreement with Blizzard to provide ads for their Battle.net service (which was first signed last December). The Massive division was hit a few months ago with layoffs ordered by their parent company Microsoft. Those layoffs reportedly totaled 28 percent of Massive's team members.
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Any game with in-game ads immediately goes on my shit list. Joystiq listed a few of the games inked in this deal and was saddened to see a few games I was interested in immediately move to my bargain bin list. Ads have no place in my games, they consistently dash my sense of disbelieve, and I simply refuse to pay to be advertised to. I was attempting to play Burnout Paradise and I was constantly distracted by the overabundance of ads all over the place. Nothing like missing a turn because your thinking about why Axe Body Spray exists in this alternative reality world about wrecking cars. The ads in that game sicken me enough to the point that I don't want to play the game and am sorry I paid money for it. Well, I'm not making that mistake again, the games in this deal are off my shopping list. I hope the publishers realize that while these deals give them some extra ad revenue, they are costing them quite literally in game sales and gamer good will. It's a cheapening and degrading practice that shouldn't be used.
...bysmittyPosted at 8:19AM on Sep 1st 2009 by bysmitty