PS3 joins in-game ad game

Dynamically served in-game ads may be old hat on the PC and Xbox 360, but Sony announced today its first partner in bringing the adaptable advertising technique to the PlayStation 3. Though Sony will be working with other partners, it has selected IGA Worldwide as its first intermediary for marketers and publishers.

IGA Worldwide in turn announced that it has reached an exclusive deal with Electronic Arts to manage dynamic in-game ad services for the publisher's PS3 lineup for the next two years. The deal encompasses not just the EA Sports label with its advertising-rich properties, but also racing franchises such as Need for Speed and Burnout.

Electronic Arts and IGA Worldwide have done dynamic ad business before, given that the firm managed controversial spots for Battlefield 2142 on the PC. The exclusivity portion of the deal is notable because IGA competitor Massive previously handled in-game ads for the Xbox 360 and PC editions of Need for Speed Carbon.

Dynamic in-game ads can be scheduled like TV ads, switched out, or updated on the fly, letting publishers reap additional income by promoting a wider array of products (including time-sensitive movie launches) over a longer period of time. To date, the PS3 has made use of static in-game ads, in which the spots are present on the game disc at the time of shipping and don't change after release.

[UPDATE]: A Sony representative confirmed for GameSpot that dynamically served ads have previously appeared on the PS3, specifically in the Japanese release Mainichi Issho.