EA, Massive Seal In-Game Advertising Deal

Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS) on Thursday said it has inked a deal with video game advertising network Massive to push ads into its games.

The agreement makes a way for Massive, a Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) subsidiary, to include a portfolio of Electronics Arts games developed for the Xbox 360 and PCs in Massive's advertising network. Financial terms of the deal were undisclosed.

"The agreement with Massive is a first step in a detailed strategy for serving advertising in a seamless format that doesn't disrupt game play," said Chip Lange, EA's vice president of online commerce. "In places like a basketball court, football stadium or roadside in a racing game, advertising is not only nice to have, but it's an essential component to create the fiction of being there. This agreement with Massive allows us to vary what relevant ads are served to the game player."

A Dynamic Experience

"Need for Speed: Carbon" will be the first EA title to incorporate dynamically delivered in-game advertising via Massive. "Carbon" is the the newest title from the bestselling franchise. Fans of the franchise have seen static ads in the prior three titles and will now see both static and dynamic brand presence integrated into the game environments, across the platforms and across the geographies where they play.

The dynamic execution allows for in-game advertising elements to be updated and changed in real-time, keeping the advertising fresh and relevant for gamers. EA said its development teams work closely with Massive to ensure that advertising is placed in areas that fit within the game environment.

Additional EA titles will offer dynamic ad serving capabilities as a result of the strategic relationship with Massive.

Real-Time Viewing

Massive offers advertisers the ability to reach and engage an aggregated gaming audience in real-time. All forms of downloadable media and advertising content can be contextually integrated into the game environment, including image, audio, video and game object formats.

The EA deal is a big boost for Microsoft's Xbox Live, according to Sterling Market Intelligence Principal Analyst Greg Sterling.

"Previously Microsoft bought Massive, which insert ads into gaming. Gaming is huge with young males, and growing in popularity among young women," Sterling told TechNewsWorld. "Gaming becomes increasingly important as an advertising vehicle for marketers, as other media lose audience reach. This is an advantage that Microsoft has over its rivals."