EA Reportedly Considering Implementing In-Game Ads in AAA Titles

Highlights

• EA is reportedly considering a more aggressive in-game ad policy with regards to its AAA games, according to a recent earnings call for the developer.
• CEO Andrew Wilson stated that the company is working on “thoughtful implementations” of ads, with work on the new system still being early in development.
• EA’s reported ad policy shift comes as the developer is planning a light year for 2024, with some of its biggest franchises taking the year off.

Electronic Arts is considering more heavily implementing advertisements within its AAA titles, according to the studio’s CEO during a recent earnings call. With a wide library of games, EA has grown into one of the largest third-party developers in the gaming industry, with everything from Battlefield and Need for Speed to sports games in its repertoire. The studio has helped to publish some of gaming’s most popular franchises, like The Sims and Apex Legends among others. Now, EA is reportedly looking at more aggressive ads within its games.

EA and its subsidiaries have experimented with in-game ads in the past, often sparking up controversy among fans. An update to The Sims 4 earlier this year featured an aggressive ad push within the game, adding a shop button to the game’s user interface that encourages players to buy the newest expansions. EA has also received criticism from fans for its in-game ad practices, featuring heavy advertising in its sports games and even retroactively placing ads in games like UFC 4. Now, a new statement from EA’s CEO suggests the company is looking to push in-game ads even more.

EA Considering “More Dynamic Ads” in AAA Games

As reported by The Verge, during a recent earnings call within the company, EA CEO Andrew Wilson spoke on the company’s stance regarding in-game advertisements. According to Wilson, the developer is considering “more dynamic ad insertion” within EA’s AAA game releases, revealing that the company is working on a new system. Wilson did state that EA was looking for “thoughtful implementations” of in-game ads within the studio’s new games, suggesting that work on the new ad policy was “still early.” The CEO did, however, express more excitement at the potential for greater advertisements outside the games.

A more aggressive ad policy from EA within its games would likely spark significant controversy among fans, with in-game ads being a hot-button issue. The prevalence of younger gamers has led several games to change their advertisement strategies, like Roblox blocking all ads for users under 13 last year. The rise of mobile gaming has also seen in-game ads take on greater prevalence, with many games integrating ads and sometimes even tempting players with microtransactions to remove ads.

EA’s consideration towards ads in its AAA games comes as the studio is reportedly planning a lighter year for 2024 with its releases. 2023 saw a plethora of high-profile games debut from the studio, with EA launching the Dead Space remake and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor throughout the year. While EA has stated it will release its annual sports games as usual, some of the developer’s heavy hitters, like the previously mentioned Battlefield and The Sims, are set to skip releasing a game in 2024. Fans will have to wait and see what EA’s “more dynamic ads” mean for its AAA games.