Gamerifts piqued my curiosity. MMODIG slammed it home. And I'm sure Terranova will write a book about it.
Funcom, developer and publisher of top video game titles like Anarchy
Online and The Longest Journey, has signed an exclusive agreement with
Massive Incorporated, creator of the world’s first video game
advertising network. In a revolutionary deal all free players of
Anarchy Online will see dynamic in-game advertising billboards in
central areas of the game. Paying subscribers will not see the
advertisements.
Mitch Davis, CEO of Massive Incorporated said
"We're thrilled to add Funcom's leading titles into our advertising
network and broaden our reach with their hundreds of thousands of
gamers. We're excited about changing the game development business
model to provide a new source of significant revenues beyond box sales
and subscriptions and delivering a powerful new medium to global
advertisers."
...
Trond Aas, CEO of Funcom stated "As
opposed to a medium like TV you know that the gamers eyes are always
watching the screen while playing games. With official ad measurement
methods from Nielsen we are sure advertisers will cherish this
revolutionary new opportunity to reach the extremely valuable 18 – 34
demographic. Through our own research we know that most gamers want
in-game advertisement to heighten the sense of realism. Seeing that the
live billboards in Anarchy Online do not interfere with gameplay I am
confident our free players will welcome the permanent continuation of
our complimentary subscription in the ultimate sci-fi MMORPG."
I'll reserve my 2 credits for when I get a chance to see what advertisements are actually used and how in fact they are used, but for now I'll just reply to this;
Through our own research we know that most gamers want
in-game advertisement to heighten the sense of realism.
That's some pretty fucked up research right there, Trond. There's a difference between the advertising you currently have which contributes in-game realism (i.e. ads for in-game companies and guilds) and the advertising you're about to have which contributes out-game realism (i.e. revenue to cover your arses and the gaping hole created by implementing a free subscription plan).
Update: And for clarity's sake, successful advertising in NBA 2005 != sucessful advertising in a_random_MMO.
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