Product placement becoming more noticeable in games?

By David Craddock

Remember playing [i]Crazy Taxi[/i] and being a bit surprised when your passenger requested a ride to Pizza Hut instead of a generic pizza shop? Look for this to happen a lot more often in video games of today? and tomorrow. Massive Incorporated has successfully launched the first video game advertising network, forming partnerships with the following major companies: RealNetworks; VU Games; Ubisoft; Legacy Interactive.

Massive Incorporated commented on the network in a company press release

“This allows advertisers to simultaneously reach an aggregated audience of gamers through real-time delivery of advertising across an entire network of top-selling video games, enabling brand marketers to tap into the nation’s largest entertainment industry using a familiar model that is similar to purchasing television advertising.

The Massive Network delivers ads seamlessly into the gaming environment with no impact on game play or performance, making in-game advertising painless and unobtrusive for gamers, publishers, and advertisers alike.”

One major example of this is in Konami’s upcoming [i]Rumble Roses[/i] video game, a wrestling game with a roster comprised solely of females. In the arena, during every match, an electronic billboard advertises [i]Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater[/i].