EA Wants In-Game Ads to Become a Core Part of Future Game Development

Gaming‘s business model keeps evolving, and Electronic Arts now wants another big change to become part of the conversation. While players continue debating subscriptions, live-service games, and digital ownership, one EA executive believes developers should start thinking about in-game advertising much earlier in the development process instead of treating it as an afterthought.

EA sees built-in advertising as a long-term opportunity

Speaking with The Game Business, Alexander Dao, Vice President of Advertising and Sponsorship at Electronic Arts, said the company sees significant potential in native advertising across upcoming games, particularly live-service and free-to-play experiences (via Polygon).

Rather than inserting advertisements after launch, Dao argued they should be considered during development so they naturally fit the game’s world. Referring to EA’s upcoming Skate reboot, he explained:

“As you think about new games that are coming out, as you think about free-to-play experiences that are happening on the console side… like our Skate game. Those are opportunities where, if you actually design them with the right advertising and brand experience in there from the get-go, it just makes it easier.”

He continued by saying that integrating advertising from the beginning helps it feel more natural while giving publishers greater flexibility.

“It makes it feel more native, and it creates more flexibility in the types of brands that can come in and out. So, I do see a big opportunity there.”

EA also wants advertising standards across the industry

Speaking of the broader plan, EA isn’t only working on placing advertisements inside games. The company has also been expanding its advertising platform through Frostbite while collaborating with organizations including the Interactive Advertising Bureau and Integral Ad Science.

According to Dao, the goal is to establish common measurement standards so advertisers receive consistent reporting regardless of the publisher or platform.

“When we think about in-game measurement and viewability standards, how do we make sure that’s consistent…”

He added that consistent reporting would give brands confidence that advertisements are displayed and measured correctly across different games, adding:

“…Some of the things that we’re doing here, I believe, will drive a bit more consistency and standardization [across the industry].”

EA’s advertising efforts currently focus largely on its sports portfolio, but the comments suggest the publisher believes native in-game advertising could eventually become a much larger part of how future console and PC games are designed.