EA Says In-Game Advertising Should Be Planned During Early Development

Electronic Arts believes that planning for in-game advertising placement should be done during the early development stage. According to Alexander Dao, who serves as the Vice President of Advertising and Sponsorship at EA, developing console and PC games with built-in advertising in mind from the start can significantly ease future efforts.

Dao shared these insights in an interview with The Game Business, explaining that incorporating ads opens up major monetization opportunities. However, waiting until later stages makes the integration look less seamless. Designing titles with the correct brand experiences from the beginning creates flexibility for brands to rotate in and out naturally.

Certain genres make this process simpler than others. Sports titles fit advertising easily because real-world sports naturally feature sponsor content. Even so, brand collaborations can succeed outside of sports if they remain unobtrusive and match audience expectations. Dao pointed to The Sims 4 and its collaboration with Coach as a strong example. That partnership delivered a free collection of in-game clothing and accessories that generated considerable buzz.

Last month, EA launched its dedicated EA Advertising platform to enable brands to place advertisements within its games. Management anticipates that the platform will provide substantial benefits for the company moving forward.