Recently, reports emerged that EA had signed an agreement with TV ad company Simulmedia, which would see them using their new platform called playerWON to incorporate in-game ads in console and PC games, similar to what’s so commonly seen in games in the mobile space. This caused a bit of a backlash from audiences, as you’d imagine, but curiously enough, EA says these reports are inaccurate.
An EA spokesperson recently told PC Gamer that the aforementioned reports are inaccurate, and that currently, the company has no plans to run ads in console and PC games.
“Following incorrect reports suggesting that we are looking to introduce ‘TV-style’ commercials into our games, we wanted to clarify that in-game advertising for console games is not something we’re currently looking at, or have signed any agreements to implement,” said EA. “Creating the best possible player experience remains our priority focus.”
Some are understandable going to be confused, as these reports first originated with Simulmedia’s EVP of Gaming and OTT Dave Madden telling Axios that the company had a deal in place with EA for playerWON, even though EA now says that those reports are inaccurate. There’s some conflicting information here, so hopefully we’ll be getting a clarification sooner rather than later. For now, we can take solace in the fact that console and PC games are going to remain ad-free for the foreseeable future.