EA has long tried to extract additional money from players after they purchase a game, and now it appears that the company is developing the next generation of advertising in traditional player-purchased games.
The company's CEO, Andrew Wilson, admitted as much during the company's fourth-quarter earnings call when an analyst asked him if there was a way to add dynamic ads to traditional games.
Wilson said EA is working on the problem, adding that advertising has had the opportunity to be a big driver of the company's growth and that internal teams are now working on how to more aggressively reflect the gaming experience.
EA has discussed the possibility of incorporating ads into its games, and it appears the company is planning to incorporate dynamic ads, a technology that intelligently displays ad content based on a user's habits, interests, and historical data.
In 2021, EA stated that it did not intend to advertise in games, but Wilson retracted that statement in May 2022, stating that advertising has its place in video games if done well.
It's not clear what exactly the integration of ads into EA games will look like.
Historically, advertising in EA games has been nothing new, with the company incorporating billboards and banners from brands like Panasonic and Adidas into FIFA in 1994.
EA has some bad examples of in-game advertising. In 2020, the company released a full-screen in-game ad for the TV show “The Boys in UFC 4.”
The player base complained, especially since the ads disrupted gameplay. Due to the backlash, EA quickly removed the ad.
Some players find ads to be a distraction, but for others they are not a problem as long as they are placed unobtrusively and do not block game content or interrupt gameplay.
Advertising plays an important role in funding free-to-play and mobile games, but is often criticized for larger games and console games.
Microsoft's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is an example of how players can react negatively when ads are intrusive.
In December 2023, Xbox players saw an ad for the game in full screen mode, sparking many negative comments on social media.
In-game advertising is a natural evolution of advertising, especially with the gaming industry expected to reach $583 billion by 2030.