EA SIGNS AGREEMENT TO OFFER DYNAMIC IN-GAME ADVERTISING ON TITLES FOR XBOX 360 AND PC PLATFORMS
Agreement with Massive Provides In-Game Ad Solution for Select Franchises
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – August 31, 2006 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced an agreement with Massive Inc., a leading network for video game advertising, in a move that will offer to marketers on a global basis new dynamic advertising opportunities across select EA franchises on the Xbox 360 video game system from Microsoft.
A portfolio of EA games developed for the Xbox 360 and PC game platforms will be incorporated into the Massive Network. Massive is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Microsoft Corp. Financial terms of today’s agreement were not disclosed.
The initial EA title to incorporate dynamically delivered in-game advertising via Massive is Need for Speed ™Carbon, the newest title from the best-selling Need for Speed franchise which was developed at EA Black Box in Vancouver, British Columbia. Fans of the franchise have seen static ads in the prior three titles and now will see both static and dynamic brand presence integrated into the game environments, across the platforms and across the geographies where they play.
The dynamic execution allows for in-game advertising elements to be updated and changed in real-time, keeping the advertising fresh and relevant for gamers. EA’s development teams work closely with Massive to ensure that advertising is placed in areas that fit within the game environment. Additional EA titles will offer dynamic ad-serving capabilities as a result of the strategic relationship with Massive.
“The agreement with Massive is a first step in a detailed strategy for serving advertising in a seamless format that doesn’t disrupt game play,” said Chip Lange EA’s vice president of online commerce. “In places like a basketball court, football stadium or roadside in a racing game advertising is not only nice to have, but it’s an essential component to create the fiction of being there. This agreement with Massive allows us to vary what relevant ads are served to the game player.”
“Dynamic advertising opportunities in top EA titles across two platforms represent an unprecedented marketing opportunity for advertisers to target the youth demographic in the most engaging medium”, said Mitchell Davis, CEO of Massive.
Massive offers advertisers the ability to reach and engage an aggregated gaming audience in real time. All forms of downloadable media and advertising content can be contextually integrated into the game environment, including image, audio, video and game object formats.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California,
is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded
in 1982, the company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive
software worldwide for videogame systems, personal computers and the Internet.
Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTSTM,
EATM, EA SPORTS BIGTM and POGOTM. In fiscal 2006, EA posted revenue of
$2.95 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million copies.
EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about
EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet
at http://info.ea.com.
Electronic Arts, EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS BIG, and POGO are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S and/or other countries. “PlayStation” and PSP are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Nintendo DS, Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance are trademarks of Nintendo. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
About Massive Inc.
Massive Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft, is the creator of
a leading network for dynamic video game advertising. With 37 game publishers
and more than 100 titles, the Massive Network offers advertisers the ability
to reach an aggregated gaming audience in real time across multiple platforms.
Over 60 blue-chip advertisers have run campaigns across the Massive Network
throughout North America and Europe. Publishers in the Massive Network
generate revenue through dynamic in-game advertising, enabling them to
leverage the value of their content while preserving and enhancing the
game experience. Massive’s technology allows for all forms of downloadable
media and advertising content to be contextually integrated into the game
environment, including image, audio, video and game object formats. More
information can be found online at http://www.massiveincorporated.com.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide
leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses
realize their full potential.
Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
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