In-game advertising to enhance The Sims 3 experience, according to EA.

Electronic Arts has never been shy to flirt with the commercial world as far as The Sims is concerned. While the franchise has seen branded content in the past from the likes of IKEA and H&M, EA has now declared its aspiration to maximise the business potential of The Sims as a brand in the game’s upcoming third iteration.

Electronic Arts’ plans for ‘The Sims 3’ include a swathe of new opportunities for branded content, including - for the first time in the franchise’s history - fully integrated in-game advertising. Courtesy of IGA Worldwide, the game will feature dynamic billboards and posters at “public” locations in-game such as movie theatres.

Steve Seabolt, VP of global brand development for The Sims said: “Advertising is very organic to the ‘Sims 3’ experience. Suppose your Sim had a tough day, or the Sim kids are out of control. That could be the moment for a particular [brand of] pain relief. Then they take that pain relief and feel restored, better rested... less on edge.”

This notion of advertising being “organic” is very interesting. One of the main arguments made by proponents of in-game advertising is that it could potentially increase the realism of those games which seek to simulate the world as we know it. Be that as it may, it may be a little presumptuous to assume that consumers will somehow miss the presence of advertising in-game.

As marketers look for ways to lever their brands into virtual worlds and publishers look to new business models and sources of revenue it will be those IPs which pose the smallest creative challenge in terms of how brands will actually fit into the structure of the experience that will find themselves in the highest demand and ergo the most valuable. Those titles where advertising makes logical sense are more likely to see interest from advertisers while the questions of how Coca-Cola can be contextualised into ‘Killzone 2’ are worked out (hypothetically).

"If there's a way to enhance the gaming experience, there could be value for the advertiser. We may be seeing even greater demand in this economy at these times," said Amanda Richman of MediaVest.

Maxis has asserted in the past that it treats its IPs as more than games but as fully fledged brands. It is this notion that makes it a pioneer in the realm of game marketing. In the very near future the value of a title in the eyes of advertisers may not only determined by its sales but also the ease by which adverts can integrate into the experience.

Ultimately what will drive the success of in-game advertising in this context will be how strongly both developers and marketers believe in creating games that not only make business sense but deliver non-intrusive and enjoyable experiences to gamers. There is no reason why consumers should reject in-game ads outright - and with them a myriad of potential business models - so long as they don’t feel like they are being taking for a ride by publishers and developers.