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City of Heroes News - Optional In-game Advertising in CoH
Posted by Keith Cross on Apr 03, 2008 | 110 comments in our forums
Ncsoft has announced that they have partnered with Double Fusion to provide optional in game advertising in City of Heroes / Villains, with the revenue generated from the ads to be reinvested into the game.
Today we announced our partnership with Double Fusion to provide optional in-game advertising for City of Heroes. I wanted take some time to share some details beyond those in the press release.
In-game advertising is something that we have carefully considered ever since the initial release of City of Heroes in 2004. From our perspective it always came down to a few fundamental questions: Will this technology make our game experience more immersive or less immersive? In other words, is City of Heroes an appropriate environment for it? In-game advertising in other MMOs has sometimes been received as an unwelcome addition, so could we actually find ways to make this a significant win for our customers? And with the plan of reinvesting all the revenue that we make from this, how much will this single (optional in-game advertising) initiative actually allow us to grow our development team?
These are complex questions that can’t necessarily be answered with 100% certainty, but after discussing this for a number of years we believe we’ve found the right partner to bring ads to the game while being sensitive to our community’s needs. I want to make it very clear that we are not “forcing” in-game ads upon our players. Thus, the word “optional” is of key importance. None of our players have to change their game experience in any way if that’s what they prefer. All that you need to do is opt-out via the Options menu in the game.
Read more here.
Is actually a great idea.
The world setting is perfect for it and i dont believe will break game immersion as much.
Plus looking at the track record of the writers from missions, story arcs and so on am looking forward to see the funny and witty wording the billboards ads will bring to the CoX world.
Also that means more revenue for Ncsoft which in turn will bring more Free Issues and content (in my opinion) to the players
Win=Win situations for both
Not at all excited about the news but at least they give the players an option to turn it off.
As long as its in game billboards, etc I don't mind. I just don't want "IN YOUR FACE" advertising on the login pages.
Whatever they have to do to make the game better without charging me more is fine with me to a limit. I agree I don't want in your face adverts.
The keyword is optional. As long as one can choose whether they want to view the adverts or not, everyone wins.
im not a big advocate of ads in games in fact I despise them. nothing worse than seeing streaming ads of axe, prison break posters (see swat 4 for major example) R6 vegas did this, but Ill admit the single player was pretty memorable but i wasnt happy to learn it too had ads, or else I would of threw it back in the face of the best buy manager and demanded my money back. funny to is the fact it has small print. but anyways im getting off track here.
the only sunshine on this storm is the fact that they make it optional, its not forced onto the player who is paying $14.99 for a ad free environment. i think they are intrusive, demanding, and downright guady. will this improve NCsofts bottom line and bring better content for the game? only time will tell, but I must commend them on allowing it to be optional. at least i have a choice in the matter so ill give them kudos for that. and if it indeed brings more higher quality content, who knows it may very well work, and NCsoft proved that t does. but once again only time will tell, Ill have to sit back and watch a bit.
The only way I'd every allow/accept in-game ads is if they substantially lowered the monthly fees, or even dropped them to F2P. I don't mind them in AO, since I'm a froob there, and I consider ads there the perfect "price" to pay for playing for free.
If CoH becomes F2P with ad supported revenues, then I'll reinstall the game today.
Oy.
LOL, yea right, next thing I'll probably hear is some fake story about a famous rapper turning mormon.
So... When you buy the CoH/CoV collection you cant try the free month that is included without paying for a gamecard first, or giving them full access to your credit card... And now they want full monthly fee for watching ads and commersials ingame. Pay to be be a marketing victim... Good work
I think thats enough junk for one company, thank you very much.
Keeping it fiction will be very fun.
We've all seen the same boards up for years...but now there will be more creativity out there.
I hope the advertisers know the game so that the boards will be relevant in each zone.
As long as they are smart about it, it could be a fun addition.
The way some people act about in game ads, I wonder how they're even able to watch television or drive down a main street in town. They're just ads, and they don't bite.
What I'd like to see is for the billboards and other in game ads (pop machines, etc.) to be destructible so we could destroy them. After a few minutes, they could reappear. Now that would be cool, and it would also catch the attention of the target audience.
Anywho, more money = good for the game.
On a side note...
The ADS ARE COMING!!! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!! 
I've said this was a good idea since I started playing in May/June 2004. I'll be happy to allow for it.
If they are going to make more money via advertisements, then they should lower the monthly subscription cost to the players. There's no way for the players to know that this extra income is being put back into the game without some concrete evidence, like say, major patches coming every 12 weeks instead of 14 weeks (just as a stray example). How do we really know this extra money is being put back into the game? We just have to blindly trust them? No, I think most players would be in favor of advertisements if it directly saved them money as well. If the company is getting richer, they should pass some of that onto the players. Like having players pay 14 or 13.50 a month instead, to make up for the invasion of their game. Something like that would make more sense.
Well, if the developers got advertisements in-game, and THEN lowered the monthly cost, that would kind of defeat the purpose, wouldn`t it? The reason they are doing this is for more money for the game specifically. To get money from in-game adds and then lose that money by lowering subscription costs would be downright rediculous, and a waste of time. (No offense).
Anyways, I'm kind of for an against this idea of in-game adds. As long as they keep it relevant to the game, I'll have it on all the time if it gives the dev's money, but if it strays... for example... you're walking through the hollows and see a "Gatorade... Is IT In You?" billboard. Then I would turn it off. But I don't think the devs would even allow that. On a side note, if I was playing the CoV training mission, and saw a billboard that said "Prison Break... Coming this Fall" I would probably laugh at the irony there alone. Not that the billboard is rediculously stupid. I'd also shut it off right after that.
So basically, I am extremely glad that they are taking the gaming experience so seriously to the point where we can shut the adds off. For that fact alone, I'm going to at least give it a try.
Yet if this was some other company they would most likely force you to view the ads, not give you the option. Please explain to me exactly how this will negatively affect you with the option to turn the ads off?
Uh? I see peoples complaining...but I hardly know if these complains are legits or not.
When I resub (eventually), I will experience it and then judge it, as afterall, you can turn them off if they annoy you, which, shouldn't be needed unless they somehow manage to be intrusively annoying (like a purples-neon-glowing hard campaign).
Honestly, I feel I will just let's them be and run by...unless they are intrusive, in which case, I will turn them off, which would be a minor inconvenience. But if they are done as the anti-alien scum in-game advertising, or the R.I.C. publicity, or the Cryptic publicity, they would definitely remain on. As these ads could adds to the good feeling of the game. Worn out McDonald/Coke sign so it is not an annoying red, that would be great and merely add to the game (Pepsi would require less worning out, as blue is less aggresive than red). I am confident that the artistic devs would have the necessary clues, I am just unsure if they would be listened to. Ads must not ruins the in-game ambiance. Many ads would need a "worn out" look, to fit in the area where they are.
I would only have 2 complains with NCsoft CS, and considering I overplay the game a LOT, this is better than ANY competitor. (1- Was unable to play on release of CoV because of a bug with pre-order, so I play 2 days before, then wait 11 days. That was harsh and uncalled for, 2- They are slow to restore deleted characters.) Again, beside these 2 tiny points, I don't see anything to complain at their CS. TR cancelled no problem. AA cancelled no problem. CoX restored and cancelled over half a dozen times, no problem. DR, no issues whatsoever. I would award NCsoft a gold medal, not the platine (not perfect), but a gold. Which is better than ANY MMO company out there.
I'd laugh my butt off because it's Troll country (well parts of it). Regardless, I'm all for it. I'd love to see Pizza Hut and Coke Zero ads on the billboards. Frankly, I see it as more immersion in the game and I'm all for that. :)
To those looking to dictate how the added money is spent? They've already told you what it's intended for. Also, they're considerate enough to allow it as an option for those who don't care for it. That says much about NCSoft and I applaud them for it.
I think this is a great idea. I mean, really, anything to make sure that they can come out with more content and keep the servers up, but besides that, I've actually looked up at the billboards myself and thought about the fact that there aren't any real advertisements there. Plus, they're going to be hero and villain related and you can turn them off if you decide it's ruining your game experience, or you just don't want to help the game. So it sounds great to me. Just too bad the April Fool's joke wasn't real. Without the turning off sound completely thing, I think most people would've liked that. :P
On a side note, I find it funny that people are looking for any excuse to say that they're doing something wrong. They don't come out with enough content - people complain. They find a way to make revenue that's not invasive so they can come out with that content - people complain. People will complain no matter what, I suppose, but they really ought to either grow up or stop posting because no one wants to hear it - that's what's intrusive.
It's not a question of being subjected to ads. It's being subjected to ads in a game with a monthly subscription fee.
They want to add "optional advertising", well then they need to make an optional payment plan to go with the adds.
Sure I'll turn on some ads and be spammed with Power Drink and McDonlads ads, but it's taking a slightly corrupt concept, like paying to play every month, and adding some extra smarmy super sauce to it.
There are some great articles on Gamespot and Gamespy with some industry insight as to how some professionals feel about the fact that with the increase of in-game advertizing, the prices of the games haven't gone down.
CoH is showing it's age and I'm willing to bet that they aren't going to add anything major to the game. This is a ploy to get some add revenue to fund the company. Mark my words, there won't be any major additions to the game. Sure they'll port over power sets that work for different ATs and maybe throw in one or two sets that have been getting developed for awhile, now, but don't be foolish... it's not gonna suddenly breath new life into an old game.
But as long as we have blind little fanbois out there that are more than willing to bend over and take one in the rear, companies will continue to do these kinds of things.
Baaaaa.
Go ahead, keep being a sheep.
Go back to sleep.
Oyjord.
And as long as we have sunshines like you, the world will still be filled with things to make us chuckle.
Could be worse.
EA could have bought CoX instead.
I don't mind it so much, as it'll be done in a non-intrusive manner. Would be nice though that it tracks how long you have the option turned on. Maybe as an incentive have a couple of badges that you can earn for how ever much time you have it on. That way the player can get some immediate benefit while the extra ad income makes its way into the game.
Online games have a lifespan. They last as long as they're profitable for the parent company. If adding passive billboard ads make CoX profitable to NCSoft for a while longer, that's fine with me.
Fanboys? Or people who like the game and can read enough to find out that it's optional? If you consider any person a fanboy for thinking this is okay, then anyone who pays a monthly fee for anything should be considered one as well. And if, to you, these ads are similar to bending over, you might also want to consider working out and taking off a few hundred pounds. Companies will do these kinds of things when they need to. City of X is not the most popular game out there and I would be against a game like Blizzard's doing it.
IT IS OPTIONAL – YOU CAN TURN THEM OFF ALL THE TIME AND NEVER EVER SEE THEM.
I really don't see many people saying ok to the advertising unless their going to get something in return. I mean just so NCsoft can get more money to add content isn't going to be a good enough reason for most players. If they gave a discound like making it $5 a month or $15 for 2 months or even better F2P servers with advertising then I can see that working. Actually if they made servers that are F2P I know so many people hate ads in game that they would pay $15 a month just to not have the ads. I don't think NCsoft sees the big picutre, maybe a few people wouldn't mind the ads, but I know more people would hate them. I've read enough forums with people complaining about ads in games. I guarentee you that if the put ads in games and let people opt-out, probably about 85% or more will opt-out. I'm all for advertising in games, but I would even opt-out if I wasn't getting something for the ads.
Did anyone of you read the article, and about how they are optional and can be turned off? All of them, off all the time, for good? Did any of you read that? Do you get it? You just hit one check box and you never have to see them - EVER.
So no one is being subjected to any adds ever.
Quote -----
So beyond all of this, what benefit does leaving optional in-game advertising “on” bring to the players? Why should you not opt-out? All ad revenue dollars go directly to the further development of the game, which means more great content than ever before!
I'll leave them on because I don't care. Yes I would be pissed if I didn't have to option, but because I do have the option I'm not pissed so I will leave them on.
@GreenChaos - No, they did not read it. They're unable. It should probably be put a bit simpler for them.
{quote} Could be worse.
EA could have bought CoX instead. {/quote}
NOOOOO Don't say the "Unmentionable" name!!! You'll jinx everything!!
I'm planning on keeping the ads on, why?
I like the game, and this is a way for me to further support it, without paying more for it.
Those billboards scattered around the city / the isles are perfect for this. Wether they say "Earth for humans" or "pizzahut, get pizza now!" doesn't really matter to me tbh.
I see what you're saying, but the end result of this project is to make the gaming experience better (or so they say). They could push whatever revenue they make from this into F2P servers, but that doesnt further the development of the game necessarily. Personally, i would much prefer that they roll money into faster/better updates that give us great new content for the game. How long have people wanted end game content? Imagine that these in game ads add enough revenue to hire 2 more devs to dedicate to end game content. I dont see how this can be a bad thing given the framework they've laid out.
That being said, tho, i would be curious to see quarterly reports as to how much money this project brings in and what it's being utilized for... simply to ensure they keep their promises.
I see this move by NCSoft more of a "Choose to see the ads and we'll keep investing in the game and not changing the montly fee". The other side of it, for me, would be "Choose to not see the ads and, by the same monthly fee, we'll start charging you for the upcoming content updates".
I liked the in game fictional ads - they kept the immersion of it. But I don't think they'll reduce the monthly fee. So I guess I'll choose to see the commercial ads then.
You've already received 10 content releases with no additional charge (unless you purchased either title after the one you already had (H/V)). Other MMOs would charge extra as content releases.The entire purpose of the in-game ads are to allow for the team to expand. So you are getting something in return.
Hopefully you play the game to enjoy it. You'd pay the same price with or without the ads. The OPTION is there for you. It's really that simple. If you don't think it's fair, then don't allow it. There. Was that really all that difficult? Nope. Game on!
I mean its likely one of the games biggest complaints, low frequency of updates or additional content
so its good that they are tring too move things along at a faster pace here
No you're obviously not bright enough to extrapolate anything from people's posts that don't agree with your opinion with simple-minded sycophantism.
Yes I read the whole article and I do know that the advertising in optional.
It's the wording in the article that set me off. Did you read it?
It's an obvious corporate spin to lead people to believe that they are going to try to breath new life into a game as old as CoX is, and it's an even bigger spin to lead people to believe that the lion's share of that ad revenue is going to go the development of new content for the game.
I agree that the way they are implementing the in-game ads is alot better than the majority of other games with in-game advertising. It doesn't change or alter the current trend in commercialized gaming for the better either. Look at games like SKATE, nothing but product placement after product placement and the game cost exactly the same as every other game that came out at the same time. The other games were just as good if not, better than SKATE. If you've played it you know how much product placement is in it. The single player campaign is like one big commercial for a bunch of different brands of clothing and skateboarding accessories.
Those companies pay money to get their ads into games. When a game is saturated that much with commercial bullshit the game shouldn't cost the same as a game that isn't as saturated. If it does than shame on the people behind the decision to charge full price for commercial advertizing.
Why does this happen more and more often? Because people with no minds blindly become sheep and make this kind of practice more acceptable than it was before.
You people need to get out in the world some more and stop worshiping at the alter of corporate shills.
Champions Online, while thematically similar, will play differently. I look forward to both. :)
Did some of you miss the part that it was optional to have ads?? I could give a flying F_ _ _ ! Some of you like to bitch for the sake of bitching..
New Content: They have to have new content if they're going to compete. It's not a matter of if or how many dollars are allocated to it, it's a matter of when/how soon and how well it'll be designed and implemented.
Worshiping Corporate Shills: That's your entitled opinion. Disagreeing with you does not make one clueless.
As always, best wishes & happy gaming!
That was a cute attempt, but no. You try and call people fanboys and then stick behind your own opinion like a mule.
Anyone that took the article to mean 'City of X is going to be a new game with the amount of content we're going to add!' is certainly a bit mislead. And of course the way they put anything is bullshitty. But some people do want to see this game continue to run, and they've helped it, at least a little bit, without doing anything invasive. In one way or another, revenue from a game is going to keep it running.
Hell, you just need to get out more.
The more I think about this the more I think it's a slippery slope and also a bit of "testing the waters" by NC.
Because, think about it...
Any money that NC makes will of course go to its games. Of course they say that all money from this campaign will go to CoX but there's nothing stopping them from also using some of that money for other purposes.
So the crux of it is "allow the ingame advertising and we will get more money - We just choose, at this time to use it for CoX".
Then if enough players say "yes" (because in the end they are not going to be getting "money off" of their subscription to allow it. They are merely giving NC permission to make more money for their game) NC can then ascertain whether or not players will allow in game marketing when they are not getting a free sub or money off.
It's a bit cynical but I think it's true.
Think its a good idea if the user/player get something back. Lower subscription fee or something.
Personally I don't really see the point having a optional ads where the user don't directly get something out of it. If it should be really optional, it should be on the subscription plan as someone already said.
This is a very controversial story.
I'm playing online games mostly to flee any RL BS that is going on out there.
Yes, I've read adds can be turned off in-game, but probably in the next game they can't.
And since I'm a paranoid and we're playing FPS, there's a chance we're getting the adverts still flickered on our monitors like once/sec (1 frame out of 60 or whatever).
Can't really see them but they'll still have impact on our subconscience.
That said, I'm pretty numb vs. adverts in general, but not everyone is.
Now, if players feel like they contribute to the RIGHT company in order to save their position in the game market by paying monthly fee for a game that includes adds, it's okay.
It's becoming a political matter.
Game companies need more money to survive, that's what I don't like about the monetary system in general but game companies are very much subject to that like any other business.
I can understand why CS is taking that route and if they use the raised funds partly for CoX and partly for a new game, I'm cool.
And they are offering you something in return, more content.
I consider that a reasonable trade for changing the generic soda machines in game currently to Coke machines or changing the fictional name above a a restaurant to Pizza Hut. It would not alter immersion one bit.
Well that's the thing. They say they are going to use the money for more development. Ok. Prove it.
Will the new content be noticeable over what is already provided?
NC should say something like "we will have an additonal update each year" or something like that.
Because otherwise all they are saying is "hey, we are going to have advertisements and, as with all revenue streams, it will be used for our games."
Well of course it will.
When I want to watch a tv program I download it without commercials then stream it to my TV. Quite effective and very enjoyable. ;)
I am the kind of person who abstains from products of advertisements which were obstructively forced upon me. Yes, I am like this.
Destructible Billboards and vending machines would be a brilliant addition!
Basing an argument around conspiracy theories isnt going to get you anywhere. I can see why some MMO players have this jaded attitude towards developers these days, but you cant include your qualms with the industry when debating revenue mechanics.
Breathing new life into CoX will be tough. I'll fully admit that. You know how they can do it tho? I would start with a good infusion of capital (see revenue generation project presented in OP). As for your theory that the money wont be reinvested into CoX and they'll just use it to bolster other projects, i say prove it. You cant. You can just assume based on whatever jaded opinion was placed upon you when class X got nerfed in game Y or promise Z was broken by developer Schmoe. Sorry bud, but not everyone is out to get/screw you. Your assumptions are always welcome, but dont expect anyone to take you seriously until you argue fact.
Thank you. I'm glad someone is using their head for more than a hat rack.
This is the point I was trying to get across, but you conveyed it alot more eloquently than I did.
After the slew of community outrages based on the idea of forced in game ads, do you honestly think that NCSoft would be THAT stupid? As i said... feel free to present your conspiracy theories, but your argument is moot till you can prove anything.
/tinfoil hats on
Seeing as how you can't prove that they will spend the majority of the ad revenue on the game, I'm going to introduce you to my friend the Kettle.
And basing your assumptions about who a person is, based on a post, is the epitome of the kind of close-minded generalizing that defines corporate mentality. Why don't you go find a focus group or something to poll and then push your assessment of the whole population based on 12 people on us. Oh wait you've all ready decided who is who and what is what... my bad.
Thanks for proving my point that the entire argument over theories as to where the money is going is moot since NEITHER of us can prove what'll happen to it. Gee... dont we all feel silly now for arguing theories?
i11 was when? november? it's now april and i12 isn't on test yet? so we're still looking at huge amounts of time between issues.
we don't get a discount on the monthly sub, and it seems that since the buyout, issues sure as hell don't come out any faster... so what exactly is the pro side of this to us, the consumer?
If they have more money, they can hire more devs. If they have more devs, they can produce content updates faster. Given the slow generation of updates being your major criticism, i would imagine this idea should be a huge turn on for you.
(Disclaimer for the Theorists: Given the ideas presented in the article hold true...)
Subscribers have received 10 free updates already and technically a free game if you didn't purchase both CoH & CoV. Issues 11 & 12 are on their way as well. I think they've "proven" plenty. :)
That WOULD be awesome! :)
Oh, I agree that one should not approach this as a conspiriacy. However, I do think that this is a testing ground for NC to see if players will allow ads when there is no immediate and tangible and well defined benefit.
It will be interesting to see if the players notice anything new (I only play CoX very casually) and how long before players can notice anything new.
If you play the game, you'd know that they've made significant changes to the game since November. You'd also know that through issue 12, content was all planned via Cryptic. Issue 13 is the first NCSoft NorCal release not under Cryptic's direction. It takes time to put out content - especially if you have a small staff.
That's great. However, look deeper. All they have proven is that they have kept up on their promise to keep the game updated. Which is fine.
However, now they are saying "if you allow us to put ads in your game then that extra money will be used for MORE content and more development.
So will that content (as I've mentioned above) be noticeable. Will the players actually see beefier or more expansions OR will that money go to stem the ever rising cost of creating those expansions?
It's all a matter of how NC puts it. There is a difference between saying "we will reinvest that money for more content than what you are already seeing" and "players, the cost of keeping up our current offerings of content updates is rising very quickly. Therefore we would like to implement this program so that we can still offer you the SAME level of content that we have previously provided."
edit: also, as players and even as "people" you have to ask these questions. You can't just take what larger organizations (or anyone for that matter) say at face value. Remember, governments and corporations/busineses and lawmakers, etc are all there to give services (of different sorts) to people. But we all know that it is a slippery slope from "we are doing this for the good of the public" and Congressional Hearings.
Funny thing about this is how little i actually notice the in game boards :) They're literally just background noise to me. They could have posted up a board with 2 naked girls making out, and honestly... i prolly would never have noticed it. And the point i made above has to hold true as well. There's already some pretty strong feelings about in game ads within the MMO community, and I'm sure NCSoft is very aware of their impact. They're already treading so lightly with this idea and trying to assure the community that this wont be an intrusion, that it would be hard for me to believe that the end result would be forcing ads on players w/o choice.
just my 2cp.
My thoughts exactly!
Well, I don't know if you are a U.S. citizen or if you are old enough to remember this, but when the cable networks started, part of their sales pitch was that you could enjoy movies and programing without...
Advertisments!
Also, if you are in the U.S (I don't know about other countries) you might have noticed that there are advertisments playing during the previews during movies.
In the end it's their product and they can do what they want. But don't be surprised if "optional" ends up being "part of the service".
Also, as far as not noticing the bulletin boards, that might be the case, however you might notice them when very iconic and familar advertisment images start appearing.
If you choose to see nothing but the negative, click the little box that says you do not wish to participate and you get to enjoy the benifits without having the ads in you game.
Oh I will.
Because the reality is, I don't mind paying for good service. I would rather them raise the monthly subscription fee because the cost of doing business has risen. That makes sense to me. But I don't like paying for something and then at some point someone says something to the effect of "We are now including ads". At the moment it is optional. That might not be the case in the future.
But as I've said, this is their "testing the waters" and we all know what will be coming down the pike. Some of you might not care about advertisments. But I do. And I know there are others.
This is not to say that I am against all ads. But when I am paying for a service and they insist on giving me ads, then that starts being an issue. As I said above, Cable Tv's big selling point was "no ads".
Wish I had a dime for every ad on there!
Based on your own statements, then we should take them for their word. They've kept up on their promise. There's a new game in the same genre due out next year, not including the rumored PS3 DC Comics project. One would gather there's plenty of reasons not to loose the "trust" or good feelings of their currently "exclusive" community.
Your last statement raises decent interesting questions. However, there's plenty to speculate on. There always is. For now however, they've kept their promise and provided an out for those who do not wish to participate. For these reasons, the least we could do is give them the benefit of the doubt. They've earned that.
Should you choose not to support, vote with your dollars. BTW, while I know and understand (and have grown up in the cable age) where you're coming from, I don't remember seeing commercials during a movie or show on HBO. :) In between and on other channels? sure. I guess my tolerance is greater than some.
Best wishes & happy gaming.
The questions they should be asking to see if this is going to actually help is:
1. How many people will actually keep the ads on?
2. If we made a F2P server with ads how many of the P2P people would move to F2P? I would think it would be about 1-3% because most people would pay to not have ads in a game.
3. How many new players would they get if they made a F2P server with ads (I think this is the big question)? I think the game population would double if not triple.
4. When Champions comes out (and if its good) how many people will leave COH/COV?
LIfe is full of testing by people. To fear such testing is to naturually fear life.
I commute to and from school several times a week. Where I drive depends on which residence I am coming from, within the city, or in a small town some 30ish miles away. Either way I go, I am inundated with ads. Everything from stickers on the cars around me, to giant billboards littering the country-side, to the migratory herds of roadside signs that pimp the latest housing development. Do I pay for the gas that drives my car through this environment? You betcha. Do I pay taxes to build and maintain those roads I am driving on? Yep. Don't I spend money buying the products of the companies that are placing these ads where I can see them already? Sure. But the advertising is still conspicuously placed so that it is almost impossible to miss it. It's part of the environment. I'd like to see a few less billboards just as much as anyone else but it would be silly if the city suddenly decided to pass a law that they all hand to be blank. They'd still be there, littering the landscape, would they not? They just wouldn't be PRODUCTIVE.
If it makes NC Soft money for me to see ads that are presented in the current context of the landscape? I will gladly leave them on. In fact, I wondered long ago why they didn't do this. The billboards have always been there. We've been reading them all along. What difference does it make if they are advertising Crey or Pepsi? A billboard is a billboard is a billboard. There are plenty of places they could put ads, and truthfully it would make the game more immersive and realistic to me. I'd like to see flashing signs that could be rented on the blimp in Atlas Park!
I do agree about the 'in your face' ads, like having to click through to reach a login screen. That is unacceptable. But as long as they are tasteful and realistic with the landscape, there's no reason for me to turn them off.
We all watch movies. (Well, most of you do, anyway....) They have the same thing, and to an even greater degree. Not only do they place billboards for money but just about any prop they can get away with making money for. I am sure M&M/Mars is still kicking their own butts for not hooking up with E.T. Reese's Pieces became a household name in candy because of that movie.
I think it is great that they do give the option, for those who choose not to exercise it. Personally I think the new content should be presented and tailored to those who do, and are in effect helping pay for it. Suggestions could be submitted via the ingame interface and the amount of hours that you had your ads on could be included in your requests. More weight could be given to those who are actually actively contributing to the company's ability to afford said new development.
Not that I expect that to happen, but hey, I can dream, right?
Just my .01 female opinion.
You're dizzying yourself with questions. You have a simple choice if you're a subscriber. Ads on or off. Make your choice. If you find you don't care for the decisions made down the road, you don't have to remain a subscriber. While it might be a fun mental exercise, chasing your tail with possibilities you can't answer is pointless. The only way you'll be able to find out it through time and patience.
So, until then... Game on!
Typical inept MMO devs.
I swear, the current dev teams out there couldnt get water from a river if you gave them a pail and showed them how to use it.
If they had any brains or creativity, they would simply put real life items in quests in a way that was unintrusive and immersive (and the gods forbid actually taught something)
An example:
Dimbulb the electric/science based villian gets information that a nearby military contractor has made a breakthru in AI.
Upon gaining entrance to the final area, where the AI is stored on a computer,he finds that the AI will actually agree to go with him IF he can beat it in a game (insert some computer game like mini game here).
BUT sadly his efforts to gain access to the room, and the efforts of those trying to stop him have destroyed all the other computers in the room.
What is he to do ? Some searching on his part, turns up a bunch of working computer parts (insert real life computer parts here).He realizes he can make his own computer by assembling the parts, and that by using the better parts (like for instance a 9800gx graphics card, instead of the other card he found during his search -which was a geforce 2)he can increase his chance of beating the computer with his assembled rig.
In this simple example, you have numerous inconspicuous advertisement opportunities,an intelligent crafting oriented opportunity, a mini game option,and a good chance to actually teach your players something useful all hidden in a single story building and immersive quest.
But even if you took a dev from one of the current teams and spent a month spoon feeding him this simple idea, he'd still screw it up to no end.
X-Play had a conversation about ingame advertising today and Morgan Webb said that if their is ads in a game the gamer should get something for having to look at them. I agree. We pay for cable tv and on most stations we still have ads, movie prices go up and their playing ads before the movie even starts, plus more and more movie and tv shows are using product placement. We're so use to paying for watching ads that now their are people who are letting this happen in games. We're paying for the game and they hope that we keep the ads on. I'll turn them off thank you. If they give me something to leave the ads on then I'll turn them on.
Even free games like 2moons let you turn off the ads, but if you leave them on you get double expeience. The whole idea is give the gamer something, say thank you for playing the game and leaving the ads on. Thank you for upping my pay check so I can buy a BMW 500 series instead of the 300 series. Thank you for giviing me more money so I can send my kid to USC instead of Csun. Don't just say here are ads, you can turn them off, but if you leave them on we'll make more money.
I think in-game advertising is complete rubish, personally - whether optional or not. If the game has too low of subs to support more content (which, CoX does not btw) then I say reduce the dev team to minimum, and let that be the end of it, unless the game is completely borked as in SWG's case. In this dire situation, the game should be dismantled and taken offline indefinitely.
If the development company is getting money from advertising, then they ought to let you play for free - that's how I see it. if you have an option, then you should have the option to not pay a subscription along with that.
But you're missing the point of the adds in the first place. It's not to decrease subscription costs, which I would love, but I have no problem paying the 14.99 per month as long as the game is good (which CoX is), but the point of them is to raise money for better updates, which can even mean less time between updates.
The whole thing here is not that the dev team doesn't have enough money, I just think they're trying to get a little more, to make the gaming experience better.
But seriously, I don't mean to sound like a dick here, but you can turn them off... why are so many people complaining about this? You don't even know how it's going to look. And you can turn it off! LOL
If you don't like it... then turn it off.
That is all.
Optional ads are a great way to generate revenue and is not painfully obvious when implemented well. I just hope that NCSoft will really use this income towards further CoH development.
So re-investing all the money made back into the game to deliver you a better gaming experience is not something for you?
Ever since NCSoft took over the game completely, we are slowly starting to see more micropayment (wedding pack anyone?) and alternate revenue streams. Makes me wonder if the game is losing subs and therefore not as profitable as NCSoft thought it would be.
At any rate, it's an optional function but...
I can't help but think this is a slippery slope. I can't help but think NCSoft is just experimenting on how much the playerbase is willing to accept. Before NCSoft took over, the devs said there would be no in-game advertising but now there will be. I expect to see more micropayment options like the wedding pack in the near future which were generally free before.
I don't like the trend.
Now that you put it that way, I do tend to agree with you...
if there is in-game advertising in an MMO, why do I need to pay a monthly fee? That doesn't make much sense to me at all.
Wow... some people just want to be terminally unhappy and disgruntled. It never ceases to amaze me the level of angst, bitterness and outright anger (not to mention suspicion and distrust) there is pervasely running through *gaming* forums. GAMING. As in a recreational activity that is a pure luxury OPTION in your life.
Some of you people really are emotionally disturbed. And it is perfectly valid to make this judgement based solely on what you post here. Internet postings are more than enough to identify a chronically unhappy and obsessive personality.
When a company decides to test the waters with an OPT-IN system of ad supported revenue and your reaction is resentment, rage and deep seeded suspicion, it is time to step AWAY from the keyboard. When you find yourself saying things like "ALL OF THESE DAMN IDIOT MMO DEVS!!!!" you are TOO EMOTIONALLY INVESTED in GAMING. Step AWAY from the keyboard.
Do you people who react this way HONESTLY not see how abnormal it is? If you DESPISE the games and their developers DONT play them! Its as if these companies were preventing you from going home to see your family or something. They produce a product that you do NOT have to buy, they arent your mother and father who owe you some kind of legacy.
All of this furor over ads and yet I bet so many of you SWOON over Google. After all, Google is the DARLING of the millenials. VERY odd that the conspiracy obsessed generation is in LOVE with an ad agency.
If they want to put the focus a LITTLE on these adds.
Maybe they could add a mini monster. A mob which is always your level. Kinda like a freakshow faction. These guys vandalize ads. But they always drop an SO. You also work on the "worning out" the ads concept. The idea is to blend the ads in the surrounding. Usually ads try to get your attention, not here, it is reverse, they don't really want it...the player is playing, don't want him to slip from that mindset, subliminal works better than harassment.
While you would be hunting for these guys, for the SO boost at level 10-40, you would invariably see some ads and be in a positive mind setting, knowing SOs are about to drop. It doesn't have to be an uber loot, just something good at early levels...and some badges. There would be many reasons to keep the ads FAR from the endgame, the mindset of the players been the first reason.
You are correct. Still, sometimes I smile to see some of these people get the panties in a bunch.
The wedding pack is optional. To date, any micro-transaction items have eventually been available for free. If you want to bemoan about not having a tux or tiara, so be it. I certainly wasn't interested in it and as a result don't have it. ... Yet.
If I were a developer I would think if I'm going to have ads in the game, I'd want to give something to the people that are willing to keep them on, not just a thank you for letting us make more money. I think a way to do it would be to have a google ad revenu model. If you put ads from google on your website the more people that click on the ad the more money you make. So the way to do the ads would be to make a free server (also have a pay server with no ads) and make it so the more people who play the game, the more money is made. The ad company would be in place of google, the billboard ads would take the place of the google banner ads, and how many people play the game would take the place of how many clicks an ad gets. This way the game is making money from the people paying a monthly fee and they're also makeing money from the ads, its win win.
If this really galls all the naysayers as much as their hystrionics would lead us to beleive, then they really only have one choice...unsubscribe. That's IF they even play the game, which I'd wager most of the complainers don't. Why do I say that's their only course of action? (besides bloviating on a web forum) Because the company has said they're going to do it, they've made their decision. And as consumers that's our only real recouse, to buy or not to buy. The rest is just so many 1's and 0's scattered about the internet.
NCSoft is a company. Companies exsist to make a profit, like it or not, that's why they exsist. They don't exsist to pander to our every whim and you have NO rights unless you are somehow damaged or incur a loss through negligence of the company. Companies are going to do what it takes to remain profitable, and the addition of 'advertising' is what NCSoft has come up with to continue providing it's playerbase with the same (or better ) level of service that they've been providing without raising subscription fees or charging for content updates. It's really quie surprizing that they've left it as an option that can be turned off. If I were looking to place advertisments for my product in a game like this, no way I'd be paying the company if I knew my ads were 'optional'. It has been mentioned earlier in this thread that product placement in video games is nothing new, everything from the soundtracks to the background graphics have been ad laden since at least the release of the first Tony Hawk skating game if not before. And, as mentioned before, these game companies get paid to place these products yet it hasn't brought down the prices of the games one cent. I bet the people complaining about NCSoft's decision still buy those games though.
Most of what I see is just the typical anti-coporate sentiment that is pervasive in much of the youth of the world. One thing to remember though, without all those eeeeeviiill corporations you wouldn't have all that stuff you want because it wouldn't exsist.
You had a nice train of thought going there until that unfortunate reference to "fanbois," whatever those are. I remember that once upon a time there was a made-up word spelled "fanboy," but clearly you intend some other meaning. Perhaps you're referring to French players of the CoX franchise?
Not quite sure how I feel about this, but really don't think I'll mind too much. The setting for this mmo is modern cities, they already have in-game fake billboards strewn about the zones, so I don't think I'll really mind if these billboards are used for real relevant companies. I'd feel differently if I was running through the Barrens in WoW and ran smack into a McDonald's sign, but I can't say that I'll have a fit if CoX utilizes existing items in game to make a bit more money. It's a business.
However, I would probably instantly cancel if, for instance, the zone loading screens were utilized for advertising, or the character creation screens were ringed with shoe ads, or they plastered the sides of all the ships in IP with energy drink banners. That would be intrusive.
I hesitate to say it but it does smack of truth, along the same vein... I wonder how long until they start offering "incentives" for playing with ads on?
And yes, I have unsubscribed... it doesn't stop me from grabbing a ring-side seat and a bucket of popcorn.
P.S. I wonder what technical issues might arise from this? I mean I am reasonably sure no one cared what billboards I was or was not watching when I played so I doubt the mechanic is in place already(read: has to be implemented). My money is on lagzilla with them monitoring whether ads are on or off(seems kind of doubtful that will be all, marketing has a hard time working like that as they need to know who is buying what), so the question really is whether it is snoozing(paragon city-champion-peak hours) or on the march ala Rikti Invasion pre-patch?
As a player with all available Veteran awards and head of one of the leading villain groups, I'm going to say that, overall, I welcome this largely because of their pledge to use the dollars to expand their development efforts. I protect my eyeball minutes considerably more zealously than the average person with pop-up and banner blockers on my browser and no broadcast or cable television, but this doesn't seem nearly that bad.
Live advertisements on billboards are really not a major difference. I occasionally browse the fictional entertaining ones now while superjumping past the skyscrapers, and they're a mildly entertaining piece of eye candy. If the advertisers maintain the eye candy level of art, then it'll actually be a net plus because it'll mean I'm not staring at the same boring billboard every time I jump past that third building between the ferry and the monorail. Who cares if it's something I might actually be able to buy.
If some don't maintain that level of eye candy then they're loosing out, and we get one more thing to gripe about in our weekly SG meetings. If you're familiar with the way social interaction works, this becomes a binder for the SG, so it's also a net plus.
The big win is the ability to disable it as a simple game option, as opposed to a complex "click here to visit the web site, read the three page disclaimer, and enter your email address in order to opt out". This means that the players will be able to vote regarding how acceptable and "in-your-face" the advertising is. If it's unacceptably intrusive then they'll immediately lose eyeballs - and revenue. This will keep it to an acceptable level of intrusiveness, and maybe even push them to ensure that the ads are of appropriate eye-candy quality.
If they're smart, they'll eventually allow you to customize the kind of advertisement you'd like to see. If you would rather see lingerie instead of cars, you can check those buttons. They may even decide to make deals with the ultra-annoying influence peddlers to sell them billboard space in exchange for promises to stop spamming.
Again, in general I think this is a good thing, and the opt-out promise ensures that it won't be a bad thing.
It comes down to the level of intrusion and game-breaking immersion.
As many have said, by default you have the option of disabling the ads so I don't see the point of crying doom. Considering that the ads won't be spammed at you constantly as part of your user interface is a plus. Considering that the billboards are fairly sporadic and fairly incidental to where you're travelling in game, that's a plus. Considering that the game is thematically a modern world versus medieval society, it really doesn't break immersion which is a plus. Considering that NCNC has final say on the ad content and design, that's a plus. Considering they at least promise to reinvest the money into development is a plus.
Based on all of the above, if they can double up on revenues, I'm for it because I see the value of the game -- 14.99/month for all the time I spend in the game is worth it. For now it can't hurt and only promises to make my favorite mmo better so I'm all for it.
Honestly, I see all of this as a good thing in the long run for several reasons:
1. The ads are optional. No one has to see them if they don't want to. This is good, because NCSoft isn't forcing the issue. Yet, anyhow.
2. There are already places in the game where the ads could realistically go, and it wouldn't break any sort of immersion for me. After playing the game for so long (I've been in CoH/V since closed beta, and have kept an active account the entire time) I've gotten to where I don't even pay attention to the billboards and banners in the game. Whether they're advertising Crey or Coca-Cola won't matter to me, since I don't even look at them anymore.
3. The world in CoH/V can realistically support in-game ads in general. It's an alternate Earth with its own version of history, but it's still Earth. Blurring the lines between real and fake with the ads really won't be that big of a deal.
4. According to the article, the ad revenue will go towards doubling the current development team and getting content out faster. Both of those things work for me. More people working on the game = content out at a faster pace. And with the Cryptic-directed storylines almost at an end (since Cryptic had only planned up to Issue 12 before NCSoft bought the game outright), a larger dev team would mean that NCSoft could get their own content planned, developed and out the door faster. This is good for the playerbase.
So far, I'm not worried by this decision. I'll be keeping an eye on things as they develop, but for now, there's no cause for alarm on my part. I'll wait and see how it all goes. Who knows? It could end up as a real boon for the game in the long run.
Considering the number of people on the forums that were volunteering to subsidize SexyJay's costume work via optional game packs before the acquisition, I have a hard time lumping the wedding pack into "the trend".
Double Fusion, a well known maker of spyware. GG CoX.
And for those who like ads, how do you feel about spam? After all, spam is jut ads, right?
The ads going into CoH/V are optional, not required viewing. Spam is also optional. You can block it and delete it, or otherwise never look at it at all. Do I open any of the spam I get in my Yahoo! mailbox? Of course not. Why? Because I *choose* not to do so.
Same goes for these ads in the game. No one is being forced to look at the ads, like they would be if they were playing a console sports game. Players have a choice, and, just like with spam, they can opt out. That's why I don't see a cause for alarm just yet. NCSoft isn't forcing the ads on anyone. Don't want to see them? Turn them off. Problem solved.
I am willing to bet almost everyone of the naysayers goes to concerts or sporting events. Watch racing? The cars are covered with ads, and ads line the racetracks. Watch football? What do you see along the sidelines? But hey! Didn't you PAY for those tickets? Gee, imagine that.. you got charged to see that concert, but had to watch that flashing sign board before the concert and during intermission! The nerve of those promoters....
And as someone already pointed out, most people use Google. Want to talk about spyware, and datamining? Perhaps some think Google really loves them enough to spend all that money on servers to house several gigs of their emails for the heck of it?
Advertising is a fact of life. Everyone has something to sell. Whether they are putting billboards along the interstate, stuffing your mailbox, or spamming you online, everyone wants a piece of your paycheck.
At least NC Soft is giving us the option to CHOOSE. In real life, I can't turn the billboards on the highway off. I can't make the signs plastered all over the arena, or around the stadium go away.
I am actually looking forward to a change in the billboards in CoH. They've been the same for many years. Does it really matter to me that someone is paying to display a real ad on them? Not a bit. Just seeing something different will be a change for the better.
If the devs need the extra cash to improve the game, so be it.
As for those whining about the wedding pack, did you buy it? Then why whine? I personally think selling add-ons makes great sense. Let the people who want the changes pay the bill for them. It didn't take me long to fork over that ten bucks. And when there were problems I got an immediate, polite response, and a fast fix. That was worth the ten bucks. What's ten bucks? A meal at McDonalds? Two lattes at the coffee shop, that are gone in fifteen minutes?
It amazes me that people will often take the time complain about things they have the ability to completely ignore....
In the end the entire reason for make Games is to make money. Without a profit motive there would be very few games and probably none worth playing. Profits come from many different places and many different ways. Ads are simply another way for the company to make some profit and thus lower the cost of playing the game to you. Much the same way shows on the TV networks can be paid for by the commercials they air during the shows. You can choose to pay 10-15 dollars a month and get no advertising on channels like HBO or you can choose to pay nothing and get advertising on NBC etc. If the ads work out in COH then there is a very big likelyhood that you will either see subscription prices drop in order to attract larger crowds thus increasing ad revenue or see much larger/better game updates content updates to draw larger crowds to increase ad revenue or some combination of the above as in enable ads and play for free/disable ads and pay $15 a month.
I personally dont have any problems with advertising as long as its good advertising. Good advertising can be entertaining in its own right such as a lot of the superbowl commercials.
As long as it stays optional i don't have a problem. However i think that if they are going to get revenues from ads they should lower the monthly fee or give players an options to play the game for free with ads forced on, like they did in Anarchy Online.
I find their reason a bit cheesy when they say they are going to re-invest the money in the game. COH/V is a succesful game already, i think the player community should get some kind of direct benefit from turning the ads on in the game.
Doubling the development team and getting content out faster isn't a direct benefit?
I mean, sure, a lower sub price is always a good thing, but let's not pretend that players aren't getting anything at all for these ads going in. The Cryptic-directed content is almost at an end, so anything that gets NCSoft to bring in more manpower and get new stuff out for players is a good thing.
other than "a hero equals three minions" emmert, who from cryptic didn't join the ncsoft team?
It's fairly easy to see what happened. NCsoft lost big time money due to believing in the myth of Richard Garriott, feeding him millions to make a game which is basically a financial disaster. Now, they've lost the people behind one of their still viable franchises, CoX.
Of course they're going to do whatever they can to recoup money wherever they can. NCsoft is trying to stop the money pit from digging any deeper.
I have very mixed emotions regarding in game ads for a MMO. On one hand, I pay for the game and don't expect to see ads. I also don't expect to see ads in places that seem out of place for a game. In other words, I wouldn't want to see adds for Intel processors in a game such as Lord of the Rings Online. On the other hand, I can see where game companies want additional revenue streams. Making money is what allow the companies to continue to stay in business.
So, I can't complain about ads altogether. I also can not fully accept them either. I guess I will just have to wait and see what happens. I should mention that I was interested in going back to COH/COV. Now, I am taking a wait and see attitude to see if this kills that MMO any more then it has suffered already.
well, seeing as COx is set on present day earth, and already has lots of billboards and such in place and those billboards have been there since the beginning... what is more immersive? to believe that only huge mega corps like crey put out generic adverts, "crey corporation", or vanguard's "they're among us" signs? and that's it? a earth where only mega corporations and government/u.n.-sponsored armies have adverts? or a world where mountain dew, dell, and nike have ads on billboards?
personally...
i still haven't seen anything (links) where ncsoft lost anyone other than emmert from the COx team.
does anyone have official info? because from the press release i saw, everyone on COx, stayed with ncsoft, sans emmert.
exactly.
I was under the impression that all Cryptic except about 15 peoples move out to do Cryptic stuff. Bab is definitely with NCsoft and CoX.
In fact, when I do the RSF, I always want to kill Bab last, because it is my belief that he will be the last dev to quit the boat ever. I mean, the Lead Prog is prolly the best guy to keep until you stop improving the game. He knows how stuff have been programmed from the start...he knows stuff nobody else does. See, if a truck accident happens, there are some peoples which "can't be replaced".
I dont have the game or play it but I will make my opinion.
There are some serious and important IF's here to discuss.
First is: IF they place ads, will they be billboard ads like those you see from Disney while driving down the highway in Orlando?
OR will they be the internet ad)Internet ad is those "in your face, look at me-take care of me first or else" ads.
When they answer this question then you can be relieved or outraged about the news. Also they did say that they found a way to make the ads fit with the theme of the game so Im guessing the agressive Internet style ads are out the question and the Disney Style ads are in.
Also I think many of you always talk about this when a person says, why doesnt the company make the game free?, but you always respond I like paying a monthly fee for this game. Since the company recieves money they increase the games quality and quantity. So This news shouldnt even make you mad whatever style of ads they are since this will have 2 effects on the game for you.
Lower monthly fee)I doubt they will make it free) or more frequent Issues/Expansions/Mega Patches/etc. It could also be both.
My thinking is this:
If your game cannot attract enough subscribers to allow you to afford ongoing development costs without resorting to advertising in addition to your subscription revenues, then there is a serious problem with your game.
It's true that in-game advertising would not affect me in any way. If I were still a subscriber, I might not even turn the ads off, as they are being implemented in an inobtrusive way.
But I am not a subscriber, and you know why? There are serious problems with this game. I could write a pretty big rant about this subject, but anyone who has played the game (like it or not) knows what I mean. Even the changes that seem good are not good enough to warrant kudos -- they are merely upgrades or updates to existing systems or content.
I was a pretty die-hard fan for several years, but the overall direction of the more recent updates finally drove me away. Nearly every truly NEW feature (as opposed to the many recycled ones) has been kind of awful. So even with all this lovely new ad revenue coming in and double the staff, I'm simply not convinced they aren't going to make the game twice as sucky twice as fast.
In a game like CoX ingame ads make more sense. There are already fake ads in the game on various banners and billboards, would be easy to make them apply to real world. Heck, there are vending machines in some missions, wouldn't be intrusive to have them say "pepsi" or "coke" on them.
Being able to turn them off is nice. Though as long as they are just at the existing billboards or banner areas I'd probably leave the feature on. Now if every building starts getting Gatorade ad banners taped to em, I'm gonna get a tad... irked.
Another thing, drawing more revenue like this, along with the hiring they been doing, sure does imply they are working on something big. New expansion perhaps? One can dream....
"At no additional expense?"
When I first saw this article my heart jumped. "COH/X is going to be free?" Then I read it. Bleh... Not as exciting as I thought. I was hoping that they had went the way of Anarchy Online and opened the game up to anyone who wanted to play. With the only benefit of in-game advertising being to cushion the fall of dropping subscriptions though, I don't see how this is supposed to be good news to anyone other than the already subscribed. It's not like I'm going to go sign back up just so I can find out where I should by my sneakers while I play.
Well if they do in non-intrusive this would mean more income for further development. Less costs on their side means more content they can do. There are already fake ads ingame, if they just swapped those out with a real one, say an ad for Iron Man movie, that wouldn't bother me at all.
Plus the subscriptions aren't dropping. I get confused as to why people keep saying they are. They do not have millions of subs like That Other Game, but they have a healthy subscriber base that is turning a profit. If subs were declining, I doubt NCSoft would of shelled out money to buy the franchise from Cryptic OR started hiring more people if they thought CoX was dying.
I welcome the ads. I think they'd make the game more immersive, especially if some of the current fictional ads are preserved too. If some of the "real-world' ads are done in the superheroes-are-real spirit (similar to the sponsors in the film "Mystery Men") we'll have to look twice to see if an ad is real or fictional (those of us who have the option turned on).
This is one of the few MMOs where advertising contemporary products actually fits in well.
If the additional revenue stream prevents increases in the monthly fees and allows them to increase the support team, all the better.
It's a great idea and if implemented with a little thought, it can be another enhancement to one of the best MMOs out there.