Video game advertising partner Double Fusion is just full of bright ideas on how to make advertisements acceptable to Joe Gamer. Since authentic, vintage product placement won't exactly work in a futuristic MMO like City of Heroes, NCsoft announced yesterday that their in-game ads will be completely optional.
On the official website, NCsoft's Brian Clayton explains,
I want to make it very clear that we are not “forcing” in-game ads upon our players. Thus, the word “optional” is of key importance. None of our players have to change their game experience in any way if that’s what they prefer. All that you need to do is opt-out via the Options menu in the game.
While we won't be the first to suggest that optimally players should be able to opt-in to potentially unwanted advertisements instead of being forced to opt out (see also: spam) we agree that this is a huge step in the right direction.
Clayton's promises to keep in-game ads contextually relevant feel a little weak ("Only contextually relevant ads or branding that the development team approves will go into the game," bolding ours) but he claims the company "will be very careful not to break the immersion and feel of Paragon City or the Rogue Isles." To that end, the initial rollout of advertisements will only apply a fresh coat of paint over the existing, fictitious billboards already on display.
So why opt-in when you can simply carry on punishing evil-doers as usual? Because, NCsoft claims, all proceeds from the ad campaign will be reinvested in the game itself, meaning more content down the road.
SAN FRANCISCO — Apr. 3, 2008— Leading independent game advertising provider Double Fusion has entered an agreement with NCsoft®, the leading developer and publisher of online computer games, to represent the successful comic-book inspired massively multiplayer online game, City of Heroes®. Double Fusion will provide the technology and sales force to bring brands into the popular online role-playing game which takes place in a modern urban setting, an ideal environment for unobtrusive in-game advertising.
Double Fusion and NCsoft are focused on providing value to the players through this advertising partnership. While real world ads will lend realism to the urban world of City of Heroes, NCsoft also plans on taking advantage of Double Fusion's technology to display player-created content within the game. The publisher will dedicate all advertising dollars it earns to fund further game development for the online title, yet still allow players to opt out of advertising in order to provide flexibility to community members.
“Our partnership with NCsoft is a clear showcase for two of our guiding philosophies: bringing value to the player through appropriate use of advertising spaces and bringing new business models to the marketplace by creating new revenue streams that can help fund game development and community support” said Jonathan Epstein, president and CEO, Double Fusion.
“City of Heroes is a key property for NCsoft and we take great care to grow and nurture our player community,” said Brian Clayton, General Manager of NCsoft’s Northern California studio. “We are pleased to work with Double Fusion on City of Heroes, as they have demonstrated sensitivity to the needs of our community and fundamentally understand how advertising can bring value to the players when executed gracefully, and in the appropriate context. In addition to allowing any of our players to opt-out if they so choose, their flexible technology will not only allow us to bring brand messages into the game but also provide a fun, new platform for displaying player-created materials.”
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