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IGA putting ads into Counter-Strike

Valve signs agreement for its popular online first-person shooter with the in-game advertising firm that worked on Battlefield 2142.

In-game ad firm IGA Worldwide announced today that it landed one of the biggest fish in the online gaming pond, signing an exclusive agreement with Valve to provide dynamic advertising to the first-person shooter Counter-Strike. IGA Worldwide hasn't said what form its ads will take in Counter-Strike or when they will first begin appearing. The firm most recently found itself in gamers' crosshairs after a disclaimer about the company's in-game ad technology was included in boxed copies of Electronic Arts' Battlefield 2142. When users claimed the disclaimer was a cover for installing spyware on users' machines, IGA CEO Justin Townsend strenuously denied the accusation and said the only data the company retrieves from a user's computer has to do with where they live (so localized ads can be targeted), as well as what ads they see, how large, and from which angle.

282 Comments

  • Ace_V0rn

    Posted Mar 2, 2007 11:24 am GMT

    I dont see any...

  • Mr_Cynical

    Posted Jan 21, 2007 7:56 am GMT

    Just spraypaint a 'no ads' logo over any ad that you see. Or play proper games.

  • nmandude

    Posted Jan 2, 2007 6:56 pm GMT

    i think that i can tolerate a little ad if it means i get to play online for free along with the developers not needing to charge so much for games. last time i checked, CS was only 20 bucks or so. It is free when you get half-life 2 GoTY for only $40. so yeah. ads rock for cheapskates like me

  • ilikepie45

    Posted Jan 1, 2007 2:41 pm GMT

    Blizzard already has ads in their game Titanfan2083. Warcraft3 in the lobby look above the chat window.

  • mash36

    Posted Dec 30, 2006 7:19 pm GMT

    oh well. whats the big deal? Is any1 really just gonna stare at the walls and get headshoted? Even the distraction sprays dont work that well.

  • McDeon4Life

    Posted Dec 30, 2006 9:17 am GMT

    Not to mention that it won't really hinder our game experience. I don't know about any of you, but when I'm on CS I concentrate on the enemy, not the walls.

  • McDeon4Life

    Posted Dec 29, 2006 11:40 pm GMT

    I guess it's expected. This isn't our game, folks; we didn't make it. It's ultimately up to the people behind CS. Besides, this lands them a bit of extra cash which means new servers, etc.

  • Titanfan2083

    Posted Dec 29, 2006 4:40 pm GMT

    i hated EA for doing it, but i swear on my mothers grave the moment blizzard puts a single ad in their game im sellign my account and never buying their games again. the only thing that could sway me is if games started lowering in costs because of ads but that isnt the case the game prices havent gone down theyve gone up AND theyve put in ads into games........i wish gaming was pure still................

  • JackCarver000

    Posted Dec 29, 2006 8:24 am GMT

    Many say ads will make CS more realistic. I only see that in some maps, as think abit; RUNS BEST ON INTEL on de_dust. That's just mad. And, think about all other games. You are playing a WW2 game. Then, you see somewhere on the ground in the middle of a battlefield: Buy serla, the best toilet paper ever!

    I think this is the worst idea ever. I know, nobody will bother the ads but it WILL become very annoying. Just think of it; everytime you play CS, you'll see ads in de_aztec, in RPG games you will see ads, and ADS IN ALL GAMES if this will keep going on! I don't want my console, not only about to explode full of ads, but also have about an 70% chance to be infected by a virus. Ads are lame.

    I'd say if that happens, i'll just quit gaming. No realism at all. Sure, in games played out in the middle of citys, etc. Then i'm ok with it. But other games; bleh!

  • XT-inc

    Posted Dec 29, 2006 8:02 am GMT

    Look This can be alot better than what we think, sure ads will make the game feel cheap but as long as they take all the cash and transfer it into a games design it will be fine but if all they just do put cash in their pockets than thats lame as hell.

  • AbstractTerror

    Posted Dec 28, 2006 4:25 pm GMT

    As long as they arent as bad as seeing a Gunslinger Girl ad in the bathroom on LVU Campus (Rainbow 6 Vegas)

  • MajorCow

    Posted Dec 28, 2006 10:46 am GMT

    Goodbye Counter-Strike, I've had a lot of good memories. This is truly a horrible trend...

    And linkthewindow, cheaper games?! Don't make me laugh. Most likely the prices will stay the same, except now we'll be bombarded with annoying ads. I miss the good 'ole days.

  • einexile

    Posted Dec 28, 2006 8:34 am GMT

    Maddeningly tacky, and from the last company I'd expect to do anything tacky. How depressing.

  • skater910

    Posted Dec 26, 2006 6:51 pm GMT

    It depends how it is used. When I think of IGA in CSS, I'm thinking cs_office since that is by far the most logical one to advertise in. I don't mind if they put in a Coke/Pepsi machine instead of the generic water bottle one they have or if they slap Dell on the PCs, but if there's going to be a big billboard for Intel right in the middle of dust2 (actually would help to remove the sniping right outside the spawn, lol) then that's where I draw the line. They did a bad job in Battlefield 2142; why is there an ad for Intel products that, according to the game, are 140 years old? Not to mention the ad I saw for Futureweapons; that IS the future. On top of all of that, who is going to run a store selling Intel CPUs or run the Discovery Channel in a dystopic future where everybody is fighting for land and resources? When it kills the atmosphere, there's a problem. Plus, in BF2142 you were first exposed to the maps with ads. In CSS, you will have the same map you knew and loved but with ads slapped all over the place. Another thing is will the advertising software work with third party mods using the CSS maps, like Garry's Mod?

  • KillbombX

    Posted Dec 25, 2006 11:36 pm GMT

    As long as a game doesn't stop in the middle of a level and say "We'll be right back after this commercial break", I don't care either way about the advertising. I mean, what difference does it make if there's a Coke billboard in the background or a Best Buy decal on a car. Now if it's totally out of place or intrusive, then it shouldn't be done. On another note, since this kind of advertising is getting big, I wish in-game baseball stadiums would have all the proper ads to add to the atmosphere.

  • qead

    Posted Dec 25, 2006 3:07 pm GMT

    This disgusting trend needs to stop.. but by the looks of it its only going to get worse

  • gatsbythepig

    Posted Dec 25, 2006 8:23 am GMT

    ads should mean free games

  • Sheiko

    Posted Dec 24, 2006 9:20 am GMT

    We should get cheaper or even free content if we're gonna get splashed with in-game ads. Support Middleware!!

  • SoulFlyprophecy

    Posted Dec 24, 2006 9:02 am GMT

    A food store IGA puts ads in really old technology,such as the Source Engine,ha ha.Not really but that's what I though it was at first when it said IGA. It may be intrusive to gameplay if it where to flash across the screen or be on every object in the game.But if it where something simple like Dell putting their pc's label on the pc in the mapffice then that would be fine I guess.

  • baseracer

    Posted Dec 24, 2006 8:56 am GMT

    Does it change the gameplay? I do not think so. Does it make people buy the product. No. The game will be the same as before the ads were put into the game.

  • mkirklions

    Posted Dec 24, 2006 7:53 am GMT

    Its fine if your trying to make a game look real, like billboards, or stores, but like in BFME that had 'RUNS GREAT ON *ad*'

  • ObsceneAnarchy

    Posted Dec 23, 2006 11:32 am GMT

    Do people actually (Oh! "Insert product that was advertised in the game here!" Think I will go out and buy some.)

  • TheVelvet

    Posted Dec 23, 2006 7:41 am GMT

    First of all, I Hate in game advertising with a passion. Second, if they are putting advertisements in video games, shouldn't we the consumers be able to buy a game cheaper since the company that is making the game is getting revenue from advertisers. Why do we still have to pay full price for a game? Shouldn't the revenue that the companies are getting decrease the "higher" production costs of games. Why not at least give us games for 50$ instead of the 60$ that they cost or even for 40$ or cheaper. Do not support in game advertising, it will only lead to bad things.

  • sharpshooter188

    Posted Dec 23, 2006 5:46 am GMT

    christ just what we need. more advertisements. Its bad enough how badly advertisements invade the home in various forms. just once id like to something go untainted. bah.

    good thing i had to stop playing cs. Id still play it but id be that much more annoyed having to look at a ****ing axe ad.

  • 09n

    Posted Dec 23, 2006 2:11 am GMT

    Just more proof that the thing companies really really fear is people thinking for themselves. If they aren't bombarded by adverts 100% of the time they might decide not to buy things they can't afford.
    And then where would we be?
    Happy thats where.
    Adverts in games are justified by the fact you see adverts everywhere else anyway, but i ask you, how would you like to play Eldar Scrolls 5 and see a bill board for a 21st century product. Or play a WW2 shooter and see 'Buy madlax, the ultimate laxative' during the loading screen?
    There is only so much advertising the human race can cope with. And we surpassed that in the 1960s.

  • darksidex

    Posted Dec 22, 2006 2:45 pm GMT

    thank-you omegabyte

  • Romanticide

    Posted Dec 22, 2006 9:31 am GMT

    Wow anyone called R3DN1N3 must have an opinion worth listening to! I mean he's so cool and smart he spelt a name with NUMBERS =O

    Anyway doesnt really bother me with the ads, but im sure the spyware will piss a lot of people off.

  • omegabyte

    Posted Dec 21, 2006 8:31 pm GMT

    Game production costs have risen dramatically in the last few years, and this may be the only way to cover them, unfortunately, without drastically raising the costs of games themselves. Next-gen games are already going for about $10 more than their current-gen counterparts, and at the same time the profit margins on those games is getting smaller and smaller. Advertisements are one way to cut down on these costs, and it will probably become a lot more prevalent as time goes on.

    However, in-game ads are dispicable, and Valve is going to probably lose a fair bit of business over this. While there are a lot of hardcore counter-strike fans who will stay loyal despite the ads, most players just consider it another shooter, and will move on to something else. There are many ways to get advertisements out there without having to pervade the actual gameplay - loading screens, game manuals, installation screens, etc.

    If you're at a movie theater watching a movie, you don't want a little coca-cola logo on the screen during the movie, do you? The same applies to gaming.

  • darksidex

    Posted Dec 21, 2006 8:29 pm GMT

    I think my lack of an understanding is your fault. Again, "who I am or what I know", what the hell are you talking about?

  • cithrim_basic

    Posted Dec 21, 2006 7:50 pm GMT

    You had no idea what point I was trying to make. You also have no clue as to who I am or what I know. And as far as the internet is concerned I couldn't care less what your opinion is about me.

  • cithrim_basic

    Posted Dec 21, 2006 7:43 pm GMT

    As far as the movies go: You're actually paying the theater for the tickets. The theater pays the publishing company of the movie (Lions gate films, WB et cetera) who in turn pay employees, actors, assistants the list goes on and on and on. Valve already has enough money? Tsk tsk there is never such a thing as 'enough money'. Greed makes the world go round in many many ways. Is it really such a bad thing? Well it depends on a person's morality and the ability of reasonable thought.

  • darksidex

    Posted Dec 21, 2006 7:41 pm GMT

    cithrim_basic, I really thought you had something intelligent to say with that big post but I was very wrong. The main reason gamers hate advertisements in their games is because is simply ruins the feel of the game. You almost had a point but before you could get a handle on it you went off talking about yourself, poorly I might add, and ended up sounding like a little boy who thinks he's oh so witty and intelligent. News flash! You really aren't.

  • firebreathing

    Posted Dec 21, 2006 7:31 pm GMT

    Well, spike042, when they put ads in games it is much like when they play those ads at the movies before you actually get to watch the movie. What I'm trying to say is you're paying for the company (Valve in this case) to be paid for having ads put in the game. It is a pretty greedy thing to do, especially seeing as how Vavle already has enough money. Too bad instead of using their time for something useful such as optimizing the code they are using it to whore out their creation

  • cithrim_basic

    Posted Dec 21, 2006 7:30 pm GMT

    There are a lot of good (And bad) points that have been made in this discussion. Advertisements in media (be it print or broadcast) has both pros and cons associated with them. Just because it's in a magazine or on television or in a game doesn't mean it's a bad thing. Think of it like this, if someone asks for your opinion on a video game or movie and you say "You should definitely rent/buy/watch this game/movie." would that not be the same as an ad? Yes, it is the same as an ad. Because ads try to get you to buy or at least acknowledge a product. There are ads out the wazoo in this world everywhere and I for one ignore them. It's not hard to do. Sure, it's a pain in the ass to know how idiotic some advertising gimmicks can be, but they help bring in the money. For those of you who say ads in games should mean cheaper games, I agree to a point.

    shahkanon, the wonderful bliss of the EULA is that they are subject to change at any time in any way without prior notification. Meaning just because you didn't see it, doesn't mean its not there. At this point I'm going to be blunt. What the hell does that have to do with your rights as an end user? Nothing. Plain and simple.

    No one is putting a gun to your head or drugging your water. I'm sick and tired of people who can't make up their own mind. I want this I want that. Well to have this or that we're going to have to put in those. I don't want those I want that. Please you sheep don't understand half of what you know and know less than your understand. That is a vague statement because there are quite a few intelligent people online. Granted, one's perception of intelligence is vague in it's own sense. I've been as civil as possible and if I have made anyone upset (fuxxors uuuu d00dz) I don't care. I'm not politically correct, I don't kiss babies and shake hands to get by in life, and I sure as hell don't bow my head to someone who demands respect when none has been earned. I am my own life, I think for myself.

  • Toadstool1969

    Posted Dec 21, 2006 2:12 pm GMT

    R3DN1N3 wrote:
    Counter-Strike is so overated, not to mention outdated. Get yourselves a new game Noobs

    Counter-Strike is an absolutely incredible game. New is not necessarilly better. Take yourself for example...

  • shahkanon

    Posted Dec 21, 2006 1:40 pm GMT

    I dont remember reading this in my TOS for steam or cs. Thus if it really does happen, Steam will be getting some pretty nasty stuff coming there way.

  • darksidex

    Posted Dec 21, 2006 12:14 pm GMT

    R3DN1N3, that opinion has absolutely nothing to do with the topic.

  • R3DN1N3

    Posted Dec 21, 2006 10:11 am GMT

    Counter-Strike is so overated, not to mention outdated. Get yourselves a new game Noobs

  • darksidex

    Posted Dec 21, 2006 9:43 am GMT

    spike042, it ruins the feeling of immersion. What if instead of terrorists and counter-terrorists we had red and blue shapes? And instead of any skins at all we had instead the color gray. It would be far from the same experience because there's a little more to Counter-Strike than "your ability to shoot someone".

  • spike042

    Posted Dec 21, 2006 8:12 am GMT

    In what way is a coke or pepsi add gonna affect your ability to shoot someone??? You people are idiots! In what way is uninstalling steam gonna change anything? Lemme see...you won't be able to play any half life, team fortress or portal when they come out or any of the other flippin lethal games valve make available. All ur gonna do is deprive yourselves of some excellent games, and for what? So you don't hafta look at something you more than likely see a coupla hundred times a day anyway!
    And all this crap about Valve "selling out"? It costs a LOT of money to make games, especially ones of the quality of Half Life 2. I think its actually rather admirable of Valve to get this money from a source that means you, THE GAMER doesn't hafta pay a penny more. If no adds would mean they had to compromise the quality of the games they produce, I would let them plaster my bedroom walls with adds. Y'all needa grow up some...

  • mbresnan

    Posted Dec 21, 2006 6:26 am GMT

    BOO! That sux. Counter strike is the **** but now they are going to have ADS! I dont want to be shooting people while I have Cingular and Pepsi ads in the environment. I thought Valve knew better than that.

  • TheBoner

    Posted Dec 20, 2006 10:51 pm GMT

    HAHAHHAHAHAA, funny sh!t, counter strike is a horrible game, and now lets install some spyware on your computer too. Counter Strike Sucks dot com.

  • bloodychimp

    Posted Dec 20, 2006 10:43 pm GMT

    those of you ranting and saying you are going to delete your steam accounts need to get a freaking life. if you think valve cares, then you have achieved a new and previously unexplored level of stupid. so what if there will be a few in game ads? you probably wont be able to distinguish them from user sprays during game-play anyway. i would gladly ignore a few ingame ads to avoid paying $100 dollars for a game that costs $10 million dollars or more to develop. just remember.

  • The_PC_Gamer

    Posted Dec 20, 2006 10:22 pm GMT

    noooooooooooooooooo

  • wafflehead

    Posted Dec 20, 2006 8:57 pm GMT

    I really, really hate this idea of ads in the game.

  • EcoBlue

    Posted Dec 20, 2006 8:00 pm GMT

    More like Dynamic AIDS! But seriously, I don't really support this, but I'm going to play the game, oh well. Advertising is okay when used IN CONTEXT unlike BF2142.

  • kaim_i

    Posted Dec 20, 2006 7:09 pm GMT

    nnnooooo, i want to see the prrety picture of the girl on the wall, now i see ads WT*

  • Factor-Zer0

    Posted Dec 20, 2006 6:53 pm GMT

    valve is really pissing me off with this ****.

  • linkthewindow

    Posted Dec 20, 2006 6:18 pm GMT

    I have to agree with some people here. In-game advertising was going to come as soon as gaming bacame a billion dollar industry. Lets face it advertisers always find there way into something. Live with it.
    (And who knows, this might even mean cheaper games)

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