EA will implement more ads in AAA games

In conference with analyststhe CEO of Electronic Arts, Andrew Wilson highlighted a new strategy that the company intends to adopt to increase its revenue: “dynamic ads” in AAA games.

What is a dynamic ad?

The executive hasn’t made it clear exactly what he means by dynamic ads. However, everything indicates that he refers to what is known in advertising as DAIo Dynamic Ad Insertion. This technique aims for a more dynamic and segmented advertising experience, and is very common on video platforms such as YouTube.

EA’s CEO highlights that advertising is an opportunity to be an important driver of growth. He also highlighted that teams are already working internally at the company analyzing how to apply well-thought-out advertising within the in-game experiences of some titles.

Therefore, EA is targeting ads that directly reach its audience, gamers. Implementing advertising in a segmented and targeted manner.

Unlike the experience on other platforms, such as videos, EA should not move towards advertising that interrupts the gamer’s experience, but rather advertising that is inserted into elements in the game itself. Something that is already done by the company. But the idea now is to make this more intelligent, and, as they say, dynamic.

Advertising that generated outrage among gamers

It is necessary to wait and see whether EA’s speech will be followed by practical actions. In 2020, an episode, involving the company and advertising inserted in games, angered many players. Advertisements in the middle of the UFC 4 gameplay. While the gamer was reviewing a part of the fight, a full-screen banner promoting the Amazon Prime series The Boys was displayed. See below:

EA decided to add full-on commercials in the middle of gameplay in a $60 game a month after it’s release so it wasn’t talked about in reviews
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This type of advertising was rejected by the community and was seen as intrusive, disrupting the playing experience. After the wave of criticism, the company removed the ad.