City of Heroes gets optional adverts

Author: Joe Martin
Published: 4th April 2008
Comments (6) Stumble
City of Heroes is to have advertising added to it via a series of optional billboards.

City of Heroes is to have advertising added to it via a series of optional billboards.

NCSoft has announced that super-power MMORPG City of Heroes is to have optional adverts added in as a result of a deal with Double Fusion.

Fortunately, the adverts will be completely optional and players will be able to turn off the real world adverts with absolutely no consequences.

"We are pleased to work with Double Fusion on City of Heroes, as they have demonstrated sensitivity to the needs of our community and fundamentally understand how advertising can bring value to the players when executed gracefully, and in the appropriate context," said Brian Clayton, General Manager of NCsoft's Northern California studio.

"In addition to allowing any of our players to opt-out if they so choose, their flexible technology will not only allow us to bring brand messages into the game but also provide a fun, new platform for displaying player-created materials."

Hm. Sure, whatever Brian - as long as we can turn it off without paying for the privilege then we don't really care.

NCSoft is pledging that all profits from the deal will be used to fund a future game, as well as arguing that the adverts will add in an extra touch of realism to the game. What do you think about that? Let us know in the forums.
Quote UncertainGod 4th April 2008, 09:58
If they offered a discount to the subscription for in game billboard adverts I'd be happy as long as everyone was seeing the same advert in the same place at the same time to avoid confusion.

Then again I finished my love affair with CoH ages ago, now I'm just waiting for Champions Online.
Quote DarkReaper 4th April 2008, 13:24
CoH is a game where ads could slip in quite neatly, so I don't see any problems really.
Quote Bladestorm 4th April 2008, 14:13
There have always been billboards around the game with a small number of fake adverts on them, swapping them out for more variable real ones would fit well as long as they were tastefully done (ideally made specially to be in keeping with the style of the CoH world)
Quote Neogumbercules 4th April 2008, 15:34
Quote:
...to fund a future game...

The Cape Radio internet radio interview last night with Brian Clayton, Matt Miller (lead dev) and Lighthouse(community manager) revealed that almost, if not all, of the revenue from the ads will go straight back into the development bank for CoH. The reason given for this being NCNorCal is doubling it's dev team for City of*.
Quote themax 4th April 2008, 15:42
I see no problem because the Ads are optional. They aren't forced on the users at all, and in a game like City of Heroes set in a fictional city in the real world United States, it's not too out of place to have the ads. There are billboards, and posters throughout the entire game so something of a real advert to me in that game isn't bad at all in my eyes. It's not like seeing a Coke Billboard is going to totally kill the immersion. The characters exist in the United States with ties to real world organizations anyway.
Quote Mister_X 7th April 2008, 09:52
I have no problem with this approach, its all pretty unobtrusive and giving you the opt out is a nice gesture to the community.
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