In-Game Ads On Console For F2P Games Will Be Common In 1-2 Years, Company Says

The tech company Simulmedia, which operatres an in-game ad platform called PlayerWON, recently made headlines when one of its executives said in an interview that it had signed a deal with Electronic Arts. The FIFA publisher has since confirmed that is not true, and it has no plans for in-game ads on its console games, but PlayerWON is a real product that its creator believes will become very commonplace in the future.

Simulmedia's Dave Madden explained and defended PlayerWON in a blog post recently. He said the PlayerWON platform takes the learnings from WildTangent's BrandBoost ad platform that he helped create when he worked there and applies them more deeply for console games.

"Now it's time for advertising in video games to take another evolutionary leap forward," he said.

Simulmedia already has an ad platform for TV that started in 2008, and the company is now looking to extend this to gaming.

PlayerWON is described as the first "opt-in-only, player-controlled, full-screen, in-game advertising experience to reach and reward Free to Play (F2P) PC and console gamers."

Simulmedia CEO and founder Dave Morgan stressed that the opt-in nature is the key component to the platform. "The introduction of advertising into these massive and fast-emerging media platforms will require managing a delicate balance centered on a single, simple and unbreakable precept: The gamer is in charge," he said.

PlayerWON will never show you an ad unless you opt-in. If you do select an ad-based experience, you can always skip the ad if you don't want to watch it.

To encourage people to watch the ads, PlayerWON is teaming with game developers to give viewers in-game rewards that "enhance their personal experience without giving them an unfair gaming advantage" over those who chose not to watch the ad. This sounds like the rewards will be cosmetic in nature, but no official details are available. Simulmedia also stressed that in-game ads will only display during "down time" in games.

Also in the blog post, Madden said Simulmedia conducted surveys where people who enjoy free-to-play games indicated they wanted to have the option to earn extra in-game content in exchange for watching a 15- or 30-second ad.

PlayerWON's ads will differ from what you might be aware of on mobile. The console-based in-game ads will be "TV-quality brand advertisements" that are described as "premium, fully immersive creative."

"Our experience complements gameplay instead of competing with it like dynamic in-game billboards do," Madden explained.

Madden went on to say that developers can benefit, too, as the PlayerWON ads will encourage players to engage with the content more than they might have otherwise because they know a guaranteed reward is coming. Additionally, due to the fact that the majority of people who play free-to-play titles never spend money, signing up with PlayerWON's ad platform can help developers make money another way, Madden said.

Madden said PlayerWON is already in use in "several" PC and console games, though he did not name them outright. More games are signing on for the ad platform all the time, Madden said.

"Indeed, we expect our model to become the de facto new standard for console, PC and cross- platform games in the next 12 to 24 months," Madden said.

Now, it's no surprise to hear Madden speak so positively and enthusiastically about the PlayerWON model, as the business hinges on getting more people to sign up. It remains to be seen how the platform will be received by fans. After all, in-game ads for console games are known to be controversial.