In principle, this concept sounds awesome, groundbreaking, stupendous even in the boardroom. However, it looks like someone overlooked that one important step of ‘unobtrusive’ when programming the 1080p quality in-game advertising.
Bundled into the new Fury DLC pack, Sony’s tapped IGA provider Double Fusion to retroactively fit the title with some revenue generating ads. No problems thus far, as it’s a pretty fair statement to make that 99.44% of gamers are used to seeing a billboard ad or two, and of course the blatant Coca-Cola vending machine, etc. For the most part, these in-game ads aren’t getting in anyone’s way of game enjoyment, and arguably ad a further touch of realism to the experience.
Again, Double Fusion gets credit for being the first IGA firm to implement true 1080p quality advertisements into a video game. And fittingly, the firm chose a futuristic title to kick off the HD ads campaigns in. “By introducing high-resolution dynamic video ads into WipEout HD, Double Fusion is responding to advertiser demand and offering an engaging ad format while pushing in-game ad innovation to a new level,” said Jonathan Epstein, CEO of Double Fusion. “The title is one of the most popular and visually stunning available on the PlayStation Network and a perfect vehicle to connect advertisers to a captivated audience. It comes as no surprise that advertisers have already signed up for WipEout HD even before the launch of the new video ad units in the game.”
Ok, again, so far so good. So as the classic Wendy’s advertising campaign questioned, “Where’s the Beef?” The beef comes our way via seconds. Let’s be honest: load times are a bummer. Every game under the sun has them, and it’s just the way things work. However, keeping players engaged in what they’ve paid for, mainly the game, is something that every developer shoots for. Most players would like to be spending their time shucking and jiving, rather than watching a scrolling progress bar. To that end, it looks like Double Fusion and Sony are placing advertising dollars over gamer satisfaction. As demonstrated by Ryaldeco, the standard load time for WipEout HD is around 8 seconds. Compare this load time to what now takes around 19 seconds if an ad plays. Ouch.
Fair enough, 19 seconds isn’t go to kill anyone, but when one is used to a load time of half the current state (if an ad plays – reports range from 3 to 5 times per hour), you could see why this has caused somewhat of an uproar from a dedicated community. To add insult to injury, WipEout HD is a paid title. Perhaps if the game were free-to-play, and either microtransaction or IGA supported – well, in that case, players get the title free of charge, so a bit of monetization somewhere is to be expected. However, for players that have already laid $20 (or so) down….
Again, in principle, Double Fusion is to be commended for pushing the envelope, and utilizing previously untapped resources to push the format forward. On the other side of the coin, it’s a shame that progress comes at the cost of time, which ultimately leads to engagement.
Update: Eurogamer is reporting that Sony has pulled the offending ad. “The ad has been removed from WipEout HD and we are investigating the situation to ensure that any in-game advertising does not affect gameplay,” said a Sony spokesperson.
