WipEout HD Gets Loading Screen ( Ads )

[sega4life]

Double Fusion slows down WipEout HD with ads

by Andrew Yoon 

The latest WipEout HD patch did more than just add Fury content to the game. No, it also introduced advertising courtesy of Double Fusion, "the leading in- and around-game advertising and gaming audience network." While in-game ads are nothing new, the implementation of WipEout's ads are causing quite a bit of grief for PS3 owners. Why? They slow down the game significantly.

Players have become accustomed to load screens, but now they must also wait for an advertisement to play before beginning a new race. As demonstrated by a user-captured video, the standard load time for WipEout HD is about eight seconds long. If an advertisement plays, the load time increases more than twofold: to nineteen seconds.

Most in-game advertisements appear as unobtrusive and non-interactive billboards. However, slowing down a game's performance to present ads in a program gamers have already paid for is far too intrusive. Jonathan Epstein, CEO of Double Fusion, stated that "Double Fusion is responding to advertiser demand and offering an engaging ad format while pushing in-game ad innovation to a new level." It's unfortunate that we have to wait while that new level loads.

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WipEout HD Gets Loading Screen Ads, Adds User Fury

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In-game advertiser Double Fusion announced today that it was bringing "dynamic video advertisements" to WipEout HD, ads that owners of the PlayStation Network racer have been experiencing (and grumbling about) over the past week.

Those video ads began appearing during WipEout HD's loading screens, presenting players with a video spot that, in some cases, appears to be pitching State Farm Insurance. That advertising looks to be limited to U.S. based owners of WipEout HD for now, a new addition that may have been introduced during the game's recent software update.

While the annoyance of in-game ads may be written off as nothing more than virtual visual blight, justifiably bothersome are accusations that the new ads increase loading times between races. Double Fusion boasts that the ads "contextually match the game's sleek futuristic design" and "complement the WipEout HD world seamlessly," but some players disagree. One YouTube video of WipEout HD's ads shows this in action, a surprising difference that we've yet to verify for ourselves.

Advertising in the WipEout series isn't exactly new, with entries as far back as WipEout 2097 sporting a noticeable presence for energy drink Red Bull, not to mention the design houses that were responsible for the games' visual style.

We have contacted Sony Computer Entertainment America to see what's up with WipEout HD's new ads.

Thanks to Caleb and Gabriel for the heads up.