I was a big fan of the Wip3out series on Playstation, going back to the original on the PS1. When Wipeout XL came out, it was "sponsored" by some obscure company called "Red Bull." There was a Red Bull logo on the loading screen, and there were Red Bull ads scattered all over the track.
The thing is, they were advertisements like you'd expect to see at a raceway. It actually looked kind of cool. And it actually encouraged me to try the drink because I liked the game. (I ended up hating Red Bull though. Still do to this day.) But the in game ad in that format was no big deal. I saw it so often, it was just part of the background. No harm, no foul.
Then Wipeout HD came out on the PS3 with the Fury add on. It was an utterly fantastic game in all respects.
Until they started streaming ads on the loading screen. Not just a static logo mind you, but actual commercials with video and sound. This had the effect of actually slowing down the load time of the game, thereby forcing you to watch the ad.
That was not cool. The player base let the developers and the advertisers know, and the ads went away. That's the kind of ad that will get me to scream. If while waiting for the launch animation to complete I'm subjected to an ad that I can't avoid, I'll reach for the pitchfork. But if it's some text in Galnet, a scavenger hunt that I can do or not do because it has zero effect on the game, it doesn't bother me. If they add real-world companies to the holographic signs outside the station, I won't mind that either. It's up to me to stop and look at them. Advertising is already in the game, it's just for fictional companies (so far.) Seeing other passive ads won't change anything. And if it means a game I like to play keeps getting support, especially without a subscription fee, I'm good with it.
As long as it's not forced in your face, doesn't affect game play or performance, I think FD can do what they want to make money.
Edit: one other caveat. FD should be careful in the sponsors they do allow, because the wrong ones will, and I hate to use the term, break immersion. A graphics card company can squeak by. But an ad for the new Toyota Corolla or the hot new romantic comedy will burn up good will in a hurry. Hopefully if ads for current products DO become a thing, FD will have the good sense to choose carefully and make an effort to create ads that don't look out of place.
- the original Elite stole most my childhood and made life on this miserable planet a bajillion times more interesting.
