Just an Idea Regarding Monetisation: In-Game Advertising

WalterHWhite · Jan 20, 2015

Around busier stations it seems like it could be something that could at least pay the server bills.

They could be text based, inside the station UI panels or more graphical outside the station (like the existing pseudo ads).

I appreciate there's perhaps not the kind of volume of players on here to make it really worthwhile, but maybe it has its uses.

e.g.

- advertising pizza delivery around the users dinner time
- promoting sci/tech media
- CMDR messages (some like to be famous, ya know)

Andi · Jan 20, 2015

No thanks.
I'd uninstall ＡＳＡＰ.

Janichsan · Jan 20, 2015

Nothing increases immersion in a game set in the 34th century as much as getting presented with some advertisement for a 2015 product/movie/whatever…

No, thanks.

Aikanar · Jan 20, 2015

I'll add my voice to the crowd and say 'Thanks, but no thanks.'

WalterHWhite · Jan 20, 2015

hehe, pretty conclusive.

Skanvak · Jan 20, 2015

Advertising is part of developped society so why not as there are already ingame advertising BUT as the other I am afraid this turn out to be a monster. What you are proposing is too much and far larger discution than this game (buisness model actually). But selling advertising plot at the entrance of station for brand with a 34th looks why not (like "the drink of the 34th millenium : Space Cola" but with a real cola mark and one sign saying that drinking cola will make you falt and die earlier but that's another story).

As far as I know that soes not really interest the present day advertiser...

WalterHWhite · Jan 20, 2015

Yes, there is something disjointed about it and as said up there ^, it could easily break immersion.

You see at some larger stations there are already advert banners on the way to the letterbox. As a marketer, I wouldn't mind forking out a couple of hundred £ to target people in the game. Anyways, it's not a great idea if people playing the game take exception to it.

Defacto · Jan 20, 2015

FD is going to loose more from people being angry at them than they are going to earn in revenue from this enterprise. Just look at the replies here.
So no, I don't think this is a good idea.

MrVibrating · Jan 20, 2015

Great idea, so long as the artistic aesthetic is controlled.

It'd really add to my immersion - i love Bladerunner and Elite is the same kind of dystopian future.. There's not enough ads or brands in the game yet, feels too sterile and handcrafted instead of alive and emergent. Compare to GTA, for instance...

Me, i'd buy an ad aimed specifically at teaching Americans how to spell "lose" correctly.

WalterHWhite · Jan 21, 2015

> how to spell "lose" correctly.

I'd chip in half for that, for any nationality that spells it wrong...

Elgered · Jan 21, 2015

nothing makes a world more realistic than commercials.

But they need to fit the world they're placed in. In E

I could imagine 21st century logos showing up in front of station entrances, or the station radio bringing product placements between music, weather reports and the traffic reports.

Another option, that would be more immersive would be to offer free ships decals on the store. I could imagine running a car-/HiFi company/mobile service provider/computer or IT company/etc. ... viper^^ Players could choose what ads they want on their ships and show their support to frontier that way. Of course that wouldn't be much money. I guess half the income of website popup, but maybe it could pay at least the high demand of Fujin Tea in the frontier offices

Also could companies buy ingame names for items/modules/commodities/factions(civil war between App.. and Sams... in system xy-24 221^^). Wouldn't you love to buy the new Merced.. FSD 5A or a Mitsub... docking computer? Or trade some barrels of Budw... ?
...

For me it wouldn't be that bad. Better than seeing frontier closing down servers in lack of funds.

Honeycone · Jan 21, 2015

I don't see a way of this being done in a way that doesn't harm the quality of the game and also completely satisfying the commercial payer. Since this is 1000 years in the future and not set in present time.

Agony_Aunt · Jan 21, 2015

@OP - why do you think FD need to monetize the game further? Last financial statements from them were quite promising.

carlisle · Jan 21, 2015

as Walter H White said, in response to people saying that they could advertise 21st C companies in a 34th C style.

No company will likely want to pay for this advertising, since they don't have control over it. Companies like Coca Cola will either expect to run the same ads in the game as they do on the telly, or not at all.

Hethwill_Khan · Jan 21, 2015

Marketing in a game aka. billboards is the same as marketing in t-shirts aka. walking billboards. No advertised company will pay you to walk around with a t-shirt with their brand on, so why would "we companies" pay for a texture in a game ?

Does not work that way.

WalterHWhite · Jan 21, 2015

>Marketing in a game aka. billboards is the same as marketing in t-shirts aka. walking billboards. No advertised company will pay you to walk around with a t-shirt with their brand on, so why would "we companies" pay for a texture in a game ?

That's in no way a good comparison. I've already said I'd be willing to pay something so you can't speak for "we companies" (why would you even try to).

I also listed the CMDR messages as a potential thing where high trafficked pixels could be used for something.