Before EA Advertising Became An Official Department, The Sims And Other Games Were Already Filled With Real-World Brands.

Amidst the buyout, and a $20 billion debt to pay, EA have launched EA Advertisement, a department focused on enticing brands to advertise within EA’s games. There are many forms in which an in-game advertisement can come in: unskippable main menu pop-ups, collaborations, or even garish billboards plastered around an in-game world. The latter is less likely to come to the Sims franchise, but for games such as EA FC (formerly FIFA) and other sports titles, it is more than likely, and not without precedent. Let’s take a look at past in-game advertisements and brands that have popped up in games.

From IKEA Pouffes to a Toyota Prius: EA Advertisement in The Sims Franchise

Almost every reader will be familiar with The Sims 4 Moschino Stuff Pack, a pack created in collaboration with the Italian fashion brand of the same name, or perhaps the more recent Coach update, adding unusable bags to the game. Both recent examples of advertisements and brands within the game. Although The Sims 4 didn’t invent the idea, in-game advertisements have been around since the first entry in the franchise!

From the official website for The Sims, players could download new objects for their game created by Maxis. Within those downloads, players could find the McDonald’s Food Kiosk, an Intel computer, and a Pepsi-branded vending machine. While yes, these were advertisements, players had the choice whether to include them in their game, unlike Star Wars, Final Fantasy, and Coach in The Sims 4.

The Sims 2 continued the branded content trend with The Sims 2 H&M Fashion Stuff and IKEA Home Stuff. Both of these packs were hated by the community upon release, with outcry over unoriginality and Maxis “selling out”. This isn’t the same tone players take now, as both packs are fondly remembered.

Players in Finland had the option to download a Coca-Cola-branded refrigerator and pinball machine from The Sims 2 Store, alongside other original content available for purchase with SimPoints.

It wasn’t just the main line entries in the franchise that crammed in partnerships with brands, players of Urbz Sims in the City for console could see Darius promoting the US-based mobile network Verizon. When entering the Kicktail Park district of the city, players would encounter a Honda dealership displaying models of its vehicles in the window. Hardly unmissable.

You think The Sims 4 is bad for collaborations with brands? The Sims 3 Store was filled with advertisements. Players could download Toyota, Ford, and Renault cars, items, and clothing from The Sims 3 Store for free, as well as a Toyota Prius being available for purchase in The Sims Freeplay around the same time. The fashion brand Diesel even had their own Stuff Pack in The Sims 3.

In 2011, drinks brand Dr Pepper partnered with EA, allowing players to unlock unique items in a selection of different titles (including The Sims 3) with every purchase of their products in stores. In The Sims 3, players could unlock new rabbit hole venues, Build/Buy item sets, and Create-A-Sim items.

And that brings us to The Sims 4, a game filled with EA advertisements! Not only were brands such as MAC, Coach, and Lo-Fi Girl involved in bringing free content via updates, but EA also partnered with big-name brands such as the aforementioned Moschino, Star Wars, SpongeBob, and Bridgerton to release full-price Stuff Packs, Game Packs, and Kits.

Wider Product Placement in Gaming

Players have seen product placement in their favourite games for years, long before the establishment of the dedicated EA Advertisement department. The most common place you’ll find branding is in sports games, and funnily enough, almost all of the biggest sports games are developed and published by EA.

In 2008, Barack Obama’s campaign bought in-game ad spaces for the presidential election, urging players to vote for the Democratic candidate, who would eventually win two consecutive terms. Adverts for the campaign could be found across EA’s titles, including both Madden NFL ’09 and Need For Speed (Pictured Above). The ads only ran in the swing states of Iowa, Florida, Colorado, Indiana, Montana, North Carolina, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio and Wisconsin.

More recently, Monster Energy bought ad space in Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding. Throughout the game, the main character, Sam Porter Bridges, will visit Distribution Centres to pick up packages and take a rest from the hostile environment outside. Within these Distribution Centres, the player can relax and have a can of Monster Energy, gaining a stamina boost of 10%.

Some games, such as The Getaway, include real-life brands and franchises within their open world. The Getaway is most notable for its recreation of central London, with buildings and streets being scanned for 1:1 accuracy. Whether or not all these brands are intentional is unknown, but it’s safe to assume that ‘Chicken Run’ didn’t purchase advertising space in the game. Players can find real-world shops along Oxford Street, see advertisements plastered across the red buses, and films and theatre shows being advertised on marquees.

What’s Next For EA Advertisement?

When EA’s advertisement department was first announced, many in the Sims community feared the worst, that billboards such as the ones seen during the Obama campaign would start cropping up in The Sims 4, and the upcoming Project X. This is unlikely, however.

What we are more likely to see is more campaigns such as the Coach bag giveaway, or more collaboration Kits such as the Bridgerton bundle. With the EA buyout on its way, perhaps we will see more unskippable main menu adverts or collaborations. But only time will tell.

What are your hopes and/or fears for EA Advertisement? Let us know in the comments below, and stay tuned to Sims Community for all the latest on Electronic Arts!