By David Ponce
We’re all more or less getting used to the idea that product placement in video games is not going anywhere soon, but how would we react if the method outlined in the above patent from Sony is ever implemented? Recently unearthed by an intrepid user of the NeoGaf forum, the patent filed on Jul 22, 2011 would have the game actually be interrupted (stopped) by an advertisement, and then resume. Gameplay would slow down in anticipation of the ad being shown, and then rewind slightly after the ad is presented. There’s no word on whether this will ever actually make it into a game, although it’s not unlikely, at the very least for free-to-play titles. Paid titles on the other hand should steer clear of this… At least, we hope so.
[ Patent Page ] VIA [ G4TV ]
Hi David – I completely agree that this is a very negative way to advertise. What would be a good way to advertise in your opinion? What attributes would a good ad format have?