$55 million spent on in-game advertising last year

Link.

The article is really, really thin on facts - I'd love to know where those numbers came from. Are they counting ads on flash-gaming websites? How much of that number was BF2142 and other titles with really in-game content?

I'd be surprised if any significant amount of it was BF2142. I can't recall seeing any ads beyond the subdued Intel one that has been around since the beginning.

Do the nVidia "ads" when starting a game count as in-game advertising?

I saw an LG ad that got past my blocking but I took care of that quickly enough.

Why is this P&C?

Staats wrote:

Why is this P&C?

Because it's all run by Dick Cheney, that's why!

Aetius wrote:

How much of that number was BF2142 and other titles with really in-game content?

It probably accounts for a lot of the ads on start up, item placement, and ads in the box. Were ads for BF2142 actually implemented?

Edwin wrote:

I saw an LG ad that got past my blocking but I took care of that quickly enough.

What are you using to block in BF2142?

Besides the aforementioned LG & Intel ads, the Ghost Rider DVD ads have been all over the game, and I can honestly say it makes me want to see the movie even less. Money well spent.

Phoenix Labs wrote:

Note: PeerGuardian 2 does not support Windows Vista at the moment. This is a top priority, and we hope to have a Vista download soon.

I guess I'll have to wait.

trowan wrote:
Phoenix Labs wrote:

Note: PeerGuardian 2 does not support Windows Vista at the moment. This is a top priority, and we hope to have a Vista download soon.

I guess I'll have to wait.

Sorry, I didn't know you were running Vista. Just another reason why I dumped Vista after a week.

Rat Boy wrote:
Staats wrote:

Why is this P&C?

Because it's all run by Dick Cheney, that's why!

This topic has generated locked threads before, as I recall, so it was a pre-emptive strike.

I think most people here know my position on in-game advertising so I won't reiterate it except to say that it should make the games cheaper and if companies are using the "increasing budgets" excuse, they should start finding ways to expand their audience, not further milk their current one. Anyone who thinks it isn't a big deal yet, wait until game design decisions and genre choices starting being made based on how well ads can be placed within. Publishers will do it, trust me.

That being said, I am curious as well how these revenues break down. No doubt money changes hands for those brand banners on the boxes and the startup of the games. I think there could also be a large skew by the fact that certain titles which are dripping with context-relevant ads (i.e. sports and racing games) are probably bringing in a lot more money than the titles like BF2142 which don't have many advertisers or placements by comparison. We're like to never find this out but I would love to see how much Microsoft is making from ads in Forza 2 versus what EA makes from 2142.

This is just another way for publishers to make cash and the developers wont see a dime of it. Publishers state that its to offset the costs of making the game. Yet most developers have to pay back most/all of the development costs with their royalties before they can pocket any cash.

With all the cross branding and franchise licenses, publishers are not losing money. EA obviously has enough dough to purchase and exclusive with the NFL hot on the heels of dropping bazillions of dollars for the Harry Potter license a few years back. They make mostly mediocre games and its apparently quite lucrative. EA invests in property and succeeds. Publishers who are hurting make poor choices by investing in washed up "rockstar" or "name dropping" designers that dont know how to design something that has a realistic chance of making past alpha.