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.

285 Comments

  • NetNessie

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 9:01 pm PT

    Why people **** about this is beyond me. CS players don't pay any monthly subscription fee. Valve is just attempting to cover the costs of the continuous server usage.

    Would you rather pay a subscription fee or just see the odd in-game ad?

  • Slacker43

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 8:59 pm PT

    in the words of morgan webb "remember kids if you see an ad then YOU SHOULD GET SOMETHING FOR FREE"

  • RaiKageRyu

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 8:58 pm PT

    Geez. Despicable. Good thing I gave up Counter-Strike.

  • -sharp-shooter-

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 8:55 pm PT

    cry cry cry omfg people stop watching TV or ready the newspaper or listening to the radio its full of ads just stop crying you see the ad for like 1-2 seconds not like you are going to die

  • VegetaMaelstrom

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 8:52 pm PT

    It's one thing to be bombarded with standard, non-changing ads. Despicable but tolerable. It's quite another to be forcibly subjected to dynamic ads which sap my precious frames per second. Spyware eats memory, affects my gameplay. Looks like CS is now joining Battlefield 2142 as an off limit game on my computer. I wonder which game will be next?

  • peeweeshift

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 8:47 pm PT

    who knows next thing you you will probably be able to buy food from you cs matches

  • EMAN2g

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 8:44 pm PT

    ...wtf this better be for Source...1.6 should be kept OG...

  • hazuki

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 8:32 pm PT

    First steam, now ads. While you produce some of the greatest games valve, don't sell yourself out like this.

  • Re_ensurer

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 8:26 pm PT

    I cannot believe Valve would sell out to something like this. I wont stop playing CS, but I'd rather play it ad free.

  • TryMe01

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 8:26 pm PT

    ...and this segment was brought to you by (insert company/product/service here).

    What a way to begin shooting people in games

  • cherrybomb257

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 8:22 pm PT

    Thank god I never played CS. lol

    What a welcome surprise this must be to all the longtime players!

  • joestierman

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 8:21 pm PT

    BOOOO. i hate you valve. i will boycott anything in there. might have to go back to 1.6....

  • Rossdaboss777

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 8:21 pm PT

    F stuff like this in games come on

  • ElectrolightSH

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 8:19 pm PT

    This will help in the 2nd downfall of the videogame industry, the second thing to help with the downfall will be uncontrolled microtransactions and the third will be all things $ony.

  • hart704

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 8:15 pm PT

    Oh joy.

  • ColdfireTrilogy

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 8:11 pm PT

    i can understand a game that is being developed but CS has been out for a while ... heck it started out as a mod and was free. Putting adds on a ranked bf2142 server is one thing this is totally different.

  • hamnut

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 8:10 pm PT

    And this will help IGA how??

  • ColdfireTrilogy

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 8:09 pm PT

    all i got to say is not on my server they aren't .... ill fricken crack my server and KEEP them off if i have to. Theres no way in hell i will ever let this happen and i must say valve this is seriously sad when you think you can put stuff i dont want on my server good luck trying peeps. good luck.

  • David136a

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 7:57 pm PT

    CS players payed for Counter-Strike. They should not see ads at all. It's like buying a car with an advertisement painted on your car. People who play Counter-Strike seriously will be distracted by the ads unless they are "fit", for example; AXE spray is not ideal for Dust 2, Pepsi ads in vending machines are OK etc.

  • oscar530

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 7:56 pm PT

    omg u are kidding me rite whats next ads in GTA

  • vercetti_dude2

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 7:52 pm PT

    IGA in my CS. Doesn't make a difference gameplay wise, but it certainly is not desirable.

  • sumdumfu

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 7:52 pm PT

    Ads never bother me, except for pop-ups. I've never bought anything from an advertisement and they really just don't affect my choice of purchase.

  • baddog121390

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 7:52 pm PT

    This is a week old.

  • the_real_VIP

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 7:51 pm PT

    Cult_of_Cthulhu is right, it will end up having characters in a sponsored camouflage like those NASCAR or Formula 1 drivers... and you still have to pay full price for the game.

  • ulrikz

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 7:48 pm PT

    This really sucks. Sure cuts down development costs and etc, but I won't pay for crap like this. That's why I'm a subscribing member of Gamespot! To get rid of the ads! I hate ads and I don't want them in a FPS, and I'd gladly pay more for a game for no ads.

  • Cult_of_Cthulhu

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 7:47 pm PT

    advertising is everywhere, the web page you're looking at runs on advertising, the car you bought was due to advertising, don't kid yourself I am surprised it toook this long for them to add it in, althoughI question the merit of advertising in FPS, unless. oh god imagine if they wrap advertising over the players, no more red tema blue team, it will be KFC Vs McDonalds grudge matchs

  • the_real_VIP

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 7:38 pm PT

    It would be funny if all the players in a map/many maps just agree between each others and have/let their characters stay still looking at an ad just to piss off the ad stats through the night while you all go to sleep. Next morning, you see the headline: "Pampers most watched ad in Counter Strike!".

  • dn3datomiced

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 7:34 pm PT

    What difference does it make? It doesn't interrupt or affect your gameplay, unless you have a problem staring at shoe ads when you're supposed to be defusing bombs.

    It's going to make development costs less expensive for the people who have to make and maintain these games, and it's not coming out of your pocket, so what do you care?

    It's not like you'll get a message saying: "This bomb defusal brought to you by Coke." "Terrorists win! Drink Pepsi!" or something. Lighten up.

  • bybeach

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 7:29 pm PT

    Jus`One step away from Halflife..I donno latley. It`s not that I want(ed) to take gaming too seriously,but it seemed to me ppl. were wanting standards and creativity. Instead it`s cynicism and Pop drink commercials.Yeah,and as one poster noted.it`s put forward like gamers wanted those adverts.

  • SpiderFreak

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 7:29 pm PT

    We should have a revolution. The gamers and (few) game developers who are totally against this should force them out of the business.

    Ads have no place in games aside from MAYBE Sports games.

    The Anti-In-Game Ad Association.

    SF

  • ZuljinRaynor

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 7:26 pm PT

    This is quite old.

  • PotatoSan

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 7:18 pm PT

    "as long as they arent actually ingame in the form of textures on walls, i dont have a problem with it. It is ok if it is an ad on the MOTD screen, or on the Buy screen, or on things like vending machines, and if they match the theme of the map, but if I see a big pepsi ad on the short a wall in dust 2, i will be pissed"
    lmao, exactly what I was thinking. I don't give a crap if there's a window I can exit that pops up when the game is started, but once I see BestBuy and McDonald's ads around DeDust2 I will be very pissed.

  • homeman90

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 7:18 pm PT

    .... hate ads in game

  • ArchAngel2284

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 7:17 pm PT

    that's lame. no wonder y i hate valve. crappy @$$ cs

  • toyzer

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 7:16 pm PT

    Fair enough if they have the cheek to place ads in games so long as they make the games free.

  • James_Bond2k3

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 7:13 pm PT

    Grrr, just one of the big reasons why I didn't buy Battlefield 2142!

  • styx56

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 7:12 pm PT

    I hate Ads in video games they are soooooooo annoying.

  • VegetaJr

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 7:12 pm PT

    I love how that ad firm will announce such deals as if they were something we as gamers should be excited for. You wanna put more ads in my games, fine. Pass the savings onto me through lower retail prices. What a bunch of jack offs.

  • dvs98

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 7:10 pm PT

    Wait untill they start putting commercials in our games.

  • Ryo_Kensen

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 7:09 pm PT

    If they put in game advertising in any Half-Life games, I will jump off a building in rag doll physics style.

  • the-very-best

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 7:09 pm PT

    In game ads are very annoying, and I think people ignore them anyway, so what the hell's the point in putting them in there?

  • maddogmark25

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 7:00 pm PT

    as long as they arent actually ingame in the form of textures on walls, i dont have a problem with it. It is ok if it is an ad on the MOTD screen, or on the Buy screen, or on things like vending machines, and if they match the theme of the map, but if I see a big pepsi ad on the short a wall in dust 2, i will be pissed

  • Danold

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 6:57 pm PT

    Eh, thats kind of a bummer. I thought Steam was all about the customers. This isn't greedy, it's just somewhat annoying

  • demiveeman

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 6:55 pm PT

    This is old news, Gamespot. This has been circulating the Counter-Strike scene for some time now. There was even an interview with one of the big guys at Valve involving the in-game advertisement deal. Way to be on top of things... -_-'

  • ryanthegreat232

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 6:54 pm PT

    Jono- Blizzard doesent need the money from IGA to keep the game afloat....however you never know how much money is too much with them.

  • spike042

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 6:53 pm PT

    If you stop playing CS cos of this you're an a$$ in my opinion. In what way is a wall being painted differently gonna affect the game? Jeez people, its not like its turning into shoot the coke can to win a picture of a shoe...

  • comthitnuong

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 6:51 pm PT

    in game ads never bothered me

  • Superstrokey

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 6:46 pm PT

    i never saw the stuff in BF but if they can add adverts that add a touch of realism to the game ill be all for it. IF its just some gay lameass blatant adverts for stupid things that wont interest me ill be pissed

  • StephenHu

    Posted Dec 19, 2006 6:46 pm PT

    its not that bad, you see sprays all over by other players, its just gonna be like sprays but shameless sprays lol

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