UBO goes free because of ads

Posted Oct 22, 2006 at 12:27AM EST by QJ Staff

Listed in: Titles, News Tags: Baseball, Coke

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We think we've posted our befuddlement regarding advertising seeping into our gaming experience before. Anyway, what follows is perhaps the ideal win-win scenario when it comes to the topic of in-game advertising.

Netamin Communications Corp's UBO, or Ultimate Baseball Online, will be implementing the advertising business model in the coming month instead of charging its players for monthly subscriptions. With the aid of a leading in-game advertising agency, players will start seeing ads from leading consumer companies get featured in Ultimate Baseball Online. This will allow characters of non-subscribers to remain intact without level downgrades.

So why is there still a subscription you ask? Well, there will be what the developers claim, "heightened services" available for pay. Leagues and Sponsored Tournaments will have low, one-time charges for participation and prizes. Participation in these leagues and tournaments allow players to be eligible to compete in the annual Best of UBO, which features cash and merchandise prizes. So there's a little something for everyone whether or not you do subscribe.

While some of us here at QJ still can't see how in-game advertising will fit in a game like WoW, sports games are perfect for in-game ads. Some think that ads just plain work for games with contemporary settings, where advertising and billboards blend in instead of stand out. In the case of sports games, the adverts actually add to the credibility of the setting. The ads in Battlefield 2142 for example, are a bit weird, but they sort of fit... sort of.

This also makes one wonder if games like GTA or City of Heroes will be cheaper if players saw the game world littered with Coke, Pepsi, and Calvin Klein ads? Anyway, what other games or genres out there do you think would fit with in-game advertising? Feel free to comment.

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