Pain: an experiment of in-game advertising
by Andrew Yoon 
{ Dec 5th 2007 at 3:33PM }
"You can imagine people like Lionsgate, who publish Blu-ray movies, getting involved. Media, creative agencies and brands all want to be involved in this program," Darlene Kindle, director of Sony's in-game advertising unit, told Adweek.
There's a high price of entry to advertise in Pain: $30 CPM (cost per thousand), which rivals costs of traditional advertising, such as ads found in newspapers and magazines. The CPM will rise and lower, depending on how many views are tracked through in-game metrics. However, with such a targeted demographic, advertisers may find this to be quite a lucrative offer. Sony's hoping in-game advertising to become a success, with twenty games planned to have in-game advertising by the end of next year.
[Via GameDaily]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
The Aggie CEO @ Dec 5th 2007 3:49PM
I figure they'll do the same with Home also.....
I mean what better way to pay for that then to have Billboards along your routes to the store and a friends home.......lol
Phillip Tuck @ Dec 5th 2007 3:58PM
how about hitting the bk king sign a 100 times and they email you a free whopper meal certificate? this can be something cool if used for good :)
Solace @ Dec 5th 2007 3:58PM
If it keeps the games at a low price and keeps the PSN service free, it doesn't bother me, so long as it makes sense.
Real ads in real world-type locations? No probs.
Real ads in the middle of Ratchet&Clank? eff that!
Noshino @ Dec 5th 2007 4:12PM
well, the ad's can change depending on the games, like you said, for R&C you can put outrageous that suits the mood of the game
mbslrm @ Dec 5th 2007 4:01PM
That's only $0.03 per person. The Superbowl's CPM is like $29, which translates to $0.029. That's ridiculously cheap.
Graham @ Dec 5th 2007 4:23PM
As long as it doesn't interfere with the gameplay or drastically change the mood of the enviroments, I don't care if i see a Pepsi ad in R&C
shase @ Dec 5th 2007 4:44PM
That is pretty cool. But wonder if it will work though. I bet most gamers just ignore it and go on to play the game.
ninxf @ Dec 5th 2007 5:06PM
Yeah, I remember it. What does that have to do with Sony advertising in games? Only an 360 fanboy can compare Sony using a rootkit to try to protect it's DRM'd music CD's with the current topic of advertising in games.
Noshino @ Dec 5th 2007 5:28PM
let's beging stating the facts, you don't like Sony, I don't like Microsoft...
that rootkit is old news pal, and at least there are many ways to get rid of it...to tell you the truth, it never bothered me, and hey, it was for PC, didn't have anything to do with PS3...
"Thank God Microsoft isn't forcing in game advertising on Castle Crashers or Undertow"
yah, but they are forcing the ad's on XBL even for the people that have paid for it.... at least Sony is putting advertisement in a subtle way and still keeping online play free, being charged $50 for something that should be free...ouch, extra profits, right Microsoft?
think before stating something, it might come back to bite you in the ass...
buzzbean @ Dec 5th 2007 5:18PM
If they do this then they should, (i.e. wont) offer downloadalble content for free. $1 for santa and cookie, WTF. It is a fun 1 level game in need of more content not charges.
russ99 @ Dec 5th 2007 5:33PM
Yeah, I agree. But Santa and Cookie (especially) are a blast to play with when Travis' sayings get old - which is quickly. $1 doesn't seem too much.
Just like games in the PSN store, I don't support them if they aren't worth the money.
If the new Pain "worlds" are expensive (like $7-10), not as fun as the current one and are loaded with ads, I won't buy them.
Darkdrium777 @ Dec 5th 2007 5:28PM
That's the price for getting Home free I guess... Really if it's clever advertising I don't care (Say like a Soda machine in Home with Coke on it, well that's just like the real thing, and Home is meant to be just like the real thing...) But I'm not ready to be spammed by pop up windows or anything of the like. If that's the case, there will be no Home for me. :/
Elsnerma @ Dec 5th 2007 9:47PM
I actually PREFER realtime, changing advertisements in my videogames. Madden, Home, GTA, bring it on I say. The added realism far outweighs the "Sony is making EVEN MORE money off of me playing videogames!" aspect of it.
Galley @ Dec 6th 2007 8:55AM
This is actually a good deal for advertisers because the billboards in Pain can be knocked down. In order to do that, you have to get up close to them where they can be easily read.
Galley @ Dec 6th 2007 8:55AM
This is actually a good deal for advertisers because the billboards in Pain can be knocked down. In order to do that, you have to get up close to them where they can be easily read.