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http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=24677

Double Fusion Brings In-Game Ads To Wipeout HD

In-game ad house Double Fusion has brought dynamic, in-game video advertising to the PlayStation 3 game Wipeout HD across North America and Europe, the company said Monday.

Double Fusion said it will inject advertising that will complement the hover-racer's futuristic presentation. The new video ads have yet to launch, but Double Fusion CEO Jonathan Epstein said certain unnamed advertisers have already signed up for placements in Wipeout HD. Ads will be shown during the game's loading screens, Double Fusion said.

The company added that the video ads would be "the highest definition" available in-game, and the game will also have supplemental ads that are standard definition.

One of the game's advertisers is State Farm -- an insurance firm that doesn't exactly reflect the reckless blow-em-up zero-gravity racing exhibited in Wipeout HD or previous franchise entries. (See this YouTube video, found via games blog Fidgit).

Wipeout HD arrived as an ad-free download for PlayStation Network in September 2008. The game is developed by Sony Liverpool, which recently released the expansion, Wipeout HD Fury.

Double Fusion said it plans to launch in-game advertising in "another handful" of PS3 games by the end of the year. The San Francisco-based company services more than 30 game publishers via its ad network.

Analysts have estimated that in-game ad spending could reach $1 billion by 2014. Currently the market stands at about $600 million, a figure that also includes web games.

I wonder if this is just for copies of the game sold going forward, or if they'll actually have the nerve and blatant lack of respect for customers to patch it into existing copies of the game.

I'd like to see a price drop for the game in accordance with the annoyance factor to be introduced, and an option for an ad-free version at the original price.

 

[JSnake]

Oh boy!

 

[SecretBonusPoint]

I hope these will be on billboards and not like the video ad for Fury I got when first loading up a race...

 

[Tathanen]

They're already in there, people have been seeing them for a couple weeks now. They're annoying in principle, but not in practice, since they occupy the top space on the loading screen before a race and add no additional wait time whatsoever.

 

[chubigans]

I think this is only for the base game, as I haven't gotten a single one with Fury.

Still, this absolutely SUCKS.

edit: wait nevermind, that youtube vid IS from Fury. Gah.

 

[BattleMonkey]

Now I totally can't enjoy the game.

 

[Apocalyptatron]

Yeah I noticed this yesterday, doesn't really bother me, that game is hella good, for a 19.99 downloadble awesome sauce game I'll glady watch ads while my race loads.

 

[Dynoro]

I hope there's some kind of opt out for this for us that bought it before adverts

 

[mr_nothin]

Wow, who freakin cares? Its not like they'll get in the way of you choosing options or accelerating or even turning your aircraft.

 

[Kuroyume]

What? If this is only happening to people who purchase the game in the future and not people who own the game already then I'm passing on it.

 

[donkey show]

I'm fine with it. My only request is that they should make them mini-games. :lol

But it's not like you guys are choosing the State Farm racer with ultimate stats. =P

 

[Raide]

Are people really going to notice adverts as they zoom around the track at 200mph? :lol

 

[yellowjacket25]

I think this is only for the base game, as I haven't gotten a single one with Fury.

Still, this absolutely SUCKS.

edit: wait nevermind, that youtube vid IS from Fury. Gah.

They are in fury. Half the time I go to load a race State Farm tells me how much they want to save me some cold hard cash!

 

[Haunted]

I'm actually surprised that ads during loading screens aren't widespread already. It seems like such a no-brainer. In menus, too.

It's all about additional revenue streams, baby!

 

[chubigans]

Are people really going to notice adverts as they zoom around the track at 200mph? :lol

There aren't any in-game ads, just in-game loading screens.

 

[Maloney]

If you can skip the add then I guess it's ok. However, this youtube video shows a loading time comparison and says that you can't skip the add.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kX4f9zts6JM

I dont know whether I can skip the ad or not but if Ican't I will be majorly grumpy.

 

[Felix Lighter]

It's a short video during load screens. I bought the game recently, so I've never played the ad free version but the ads don't bother me at all. It doesn't hamper gameplay, they don't force me to wait any longer.

If you can skip the add then I guess it's ok. However, this youtube video shows a loading time comparison and says that you can't skip the add.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kX4f9zts6JM

I dont know whether I can skip the ad or not but if Ican't I will be majorly grumpy.

Edit: Actually I just watched the video and if it's accurate it is making me wait longer which is going beyond what is acceptable.

 

[Megadragon15]

Are people really going to notice adverts as they zoom around the track at 200mph?

You ever heard of subliminal advertising?

 

[topofuji]

I was playing today online and a few Zone sessions, and they appeared. They only appear in the loading screen, and I think it might be postponing the stage from loading - they make you watch the whole animation ad before they let the stage start.
I believe only in the Fury tracks/modes the ads will appear. May be wrong.

Nevertheless, the only ad I kept seeing was the State Farm "money" ad, it got annoying after the initial "huh?" factor the first time. Why have ads in a game we paid (a premium+add-on) price for?

 

[SmokyDave]

I want to be angry about this but I have consistently said that WipeOut HD and the Fury pack provide the most ridiculous value for money this gen. I'd gladly have paid twice as much. I'd have paid £15 for a cut down WipeOut Zone that just had Zone mode and 8 tracks. Given that, a small ad whilst loading a race is fine with me.

E: assuming that Youtube video isn't doctored, the extension of load times is a little annoying. I'm not to keen on the retro-active nature of the patch either but I guess that's understandable.

 

[SecretBonusPoint]

Ugh, it is a Loading Screen video. But I havent got any of those. Maybe its US thing only for the moment?

 

[No_Style]

I support this. Studio Liverpool deserves the cash (if they get any of it). Only if they use stills though.

@ Loading time w/ ads

 

[chubigans]

If you can skip the add then I guess it's ok. However, this youtube video shows a loading time comparison and says that you can't skip the add.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kX4f9zts6JM

I dont know whether I can skip the ad or not but if Ican't I will be majorly grumpy.

That video seems sketchy, as the load bar didn't fully fill up on the non-ad one and I don't remember that happening in the load times. Could be wrong.

By the way, there isn't an ad-free version out there, this is for ALL versions, past and future.

 

[LiK]

man, loading screens eh? i guess they knew that we'd be driving too fast to notice them in-game :lol

 

[george_us]

What's the big deal about ads being games? Does it really affect your experience that much?

 

[kamorra]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kX4f9zts6JM

Is this a fake? I mean, really?

 

[Kai Dracon]

Real world ads do not belong in Wipeout's cohesive, future setting, unless as a parody of the form X company might take in that fictional future world.

 

[elohel]

I've noticed them and I may be wrong but it seems like they're only up during the load screens which is fine by me


If antything it's pretty subdued or w/e


"Chill" if you will lol

 

[neojubei]

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=24677



I wonder if this is just for copies of the game sold going forward, or if they'll actually have the nerve and blatant lack of respect for customers to patch it into existing copies of the game.
I'd like to see a price drop for the game in accordance with the annoyance factor to be introduced, and an option for an ad-free version at the original price.

They already did.

Loading screen with ads is a terrible idea.

 

[Huevos de Oro]

Sooner or later we'll be getting more and more of these types of ads, as they seem to be a good way to recoup costs. I guess we will adapt to them in the long run, as long as they are minimally intrusive, and not hampering (which seems to be the case here).

 

[chubigans]

Real world ads do not belong in Wipeout's cohesive, future setting, unless as a parody of the form X company might take in that fictional future world.

It's a good thing they're not in there.

Title change plz.

edit: wait I see what your saying. I absolutely agree.

 

[jaydogg691]

When I heard about the State Farm ads in WipEout HD I thought they were in-game, but they are actually in the load times. I really didn't mind, but then I noticed that the game won't start until the ad is over and results into longer load times. It's annoying that I have to watch this ad before I play my game and the ad does appear a lot.

 

[MDSLKTR]

Bid deal. There was red bull ads back in wipeout 2097.

 

[Gaogaogao]

you know I was thinking about buying fury, but I dont know anymore. I expect ads in a free game, but if I pay money for a game, ads need to stay out.

 

[JetSetRadio]

They can't put advertisements in something I already paid for.
Using brand objects in games is the only thing linked to advertising that I can cope with. Soda machines, phones, it's a good addition in games where realism is a target. Displaying ads for current products (billboard next to track I guess) is just rediculous in a future setting like wipeout's :lol

 

[badcrumble]

Real world ads do not belong in Wipeout's cohesive, future setting, unless as a parody of the form X company might take in that fictional future world.

.

 

[LiK]

Bid deal. There was red bull ads back in wipeout 2097.

it gave you wings

 

[travisbickle]

Can't we just cut and paste the replies to the "360 nxe advert" thread in here, and then just switch the replies from pro-sony and pro-360 posters?

 

[neojubei]

Bid deal. There was red bull ads back in wipeout 2097.

This is a big deal since this could be the start of having to watch a commercial before playing a game. Are these load times made longer just for the commercial? if so, then it is a big deal.

 

[Revolutionary]

I thought it was a joke at first as well when someone first mentioned the State Farm ads.
Then, I got one for myself.

It's not too bad, though - it's a loading screen ad. It's no worse than the Red Bull loading screen ads from XL/2097.

 

[SmokyDave]

Can't we just cut and paste the replies to the "360 nxe advert" thread in here, and then just switch the replies from pro-sony and pro-360 posters?

Depends, is this a topic about in-XMB advertising? If so, yeah.

 

[Kittonwy]

I like statefarm.

 

[gofreak]

I was gonna say that I don't mind them so much in the loading screen or menu as opposed to the game itself (if they were going to be in the game they'd have to be TOTALLY fitting with the wipeout universe), but if they're actually artificially extending load-times so you watch the ad for a certain period...that sucks and needs to be changed immediately.

I haven't seen them yet and hope I won't :| They look like US ads at the moment, so fingers crossed it won't come over this side of the atlantic.

 

[Spy]

I didn't mind the in-game advertising until I saw the game takes 10 seconds longer to load. BS

 

[kamorra]

It's not too bad, though - it's a loading screen ad. It's no worse than the Red Bull loading screen ads from XL/2097.

Judging from the video the loading times are much longer now because of the ads. That's a big deal, imo.

 

[Guled]

guess I aint getting fury then

 

[Haunted]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kX4f9zts6JM

what the shit? Lengthening the load times to let the ad roll completely is a pretty shitty move, imo.

I think I need to fire up Fury again and check if this is in the PAL version as well. (I only got the ad for Fury when I tried it out before).

 

[Revolutionary]

Judging from the video the loading times are much longer now because of the ads. That's a big deal, imo.

Like hell they are (I actually play the game). A second longer, at most.
They never come up for short loading screens either, by the way (like restarting a race).

 

[badcrumble]

If these ads were like the fake ads from MGS4, but for actual companies, I'd probably be okay with them. As it is... ugh. Not too thrilled with this, mainly because Wipeout HD is so incredibly aesthetically cohesive in every single other respect.

 

[alr1ght]

If you can skip the add then I guess it's ok. However, this youtube video shows a loading time comparison and says that you can't skip the add.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kX4f9zts6JM

I dont know whether I can skip the ad or not but if Ican't I will be majorly grumpy.

that's pretty ridiculous.