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Forums - Gaming - Why isn't there more advertising or product placement in games?

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fielding88 on 19 September 2016

Well, I think an example of some heavy product placement (at least I found it really noticeable) was in Quantum Break. Microsoft had every person in that game using a Lumia smartphone of some kind, and all the tablets were Surface tablets, and all the cars were Nissan cars.

So I guess it depends on trying to get more companies on board to advertise your products in some way. Quantum Break probably lent itself better to this because of all those live-action cutscenes too.



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Guitarguy on 19 September 2016

MGS4 also had heavy product placement.



JWeinCom on 19 September 2016

 

It actually happens quite a bit...



Platina on 19 September 2016

Because it makes the game look really bad



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LivingMetal on 19 September 2016

Bottom line is that contracts can be a bitch to work with. Long story short, don't work with them if you don't have to. Most games I play I'd rather not see them anyway. Too distracting. When I want reality, I'll get in my car and drive down the highway.



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Chris Hu on 19 September 2016
mountaindewslave said:

are you serious? play any Grand Theft Auto or Dead Rising game and there are billboards and ads everywhere for snack foods, cars, electronics, etc. etc. etc.

He is talking about ads for real product not the fictitious ads that are in Dead Rising, GTA and the Saints Row games.



Chris Hu on 19 September 2016
Kerotan said:
Here's another example.

Splatoon. This in Japan caters to a really focused demographic. Kids. Obviously all ages play it but the majority are kids. This is the perfect advertising platform for a company targeting this demographic.

A fast food company, or a soft drink company or a kids clothing / shoe company. They could sponsor an event, they could get adverts on billboards, banners or advertising boards. The shoe company could have thr characters wearing their shoes. So much potential.

I can't believe this medium hasn't expanded more. Publishers like money and companies like new and effective ways to advertise.

Some brought up the issue of contracts expiring. But can't they do it like in the movies? Paid product placement given a lifetime licence. So if coca cola have their drink in gta or Nike have their shoes in splatoon they're there for life. Just like a car is in a film for life.

Or they can have an expiry date on the billboard adverts. When the time limit is up they automatically revert back to a standard made up ad. Unless another company pays again and it gets patched in.

Maybe the adverts could just be streamed? So they're not actually on your disc. Another solution.

I don't think ads work the same way in video games as they do in movies.  I think a lot of the stuff expires that is why when they re released Crazy Taxi on the 360 and PS3 they removed all the ads that where in the original game not only that they also had to remove all the music that was in the original game.



Kerotan on 19 September 2016
Guitarguy said:
JRPGfan said:
As long as its not targeting marketing, im fine with it.
If it helps pay for developement costs, so they dont have to nickle and dime with dlc or micro transactions instead.

Ubisoft, Square Enix, Activision and EA will plaster the game with in-game advertising AND still push for micro-transactions, season passes, expansions etc.

You're right. 

 

Many games have dlc,  micro-transactions,  expansions etc but the greedy publishers haven't dabbled much in this.  

 

Like fifa on ps4 alone sells like 10m. Surely the pitch side advertising boards are very valuable to a sports related company.  I'm shocked they don't sell the space.  

 

And for the record I'd actually like this kind of advertising.  It wouldn't annoy me just like it doesn't in a real football stadium. In realistic games it makes sense to have realistic ads.