We do not how you will feel regarding this but MMO developer Acclaim Games recently entered into a partnership with in-game advertising agency IGA Worldwide. The said deal includes titles 2Moons, 9Dragons, DANCE! and BOTS!! aside from two future unannounced projects.

In-game advertisements is one of the issues that has always plagued the industry. Players, in general, do not like this idea as the pop ups and obvious product placements prove to be rather distracting. On the other hand, IGA Worldwide is maintaining a positive stance saying this kind of marketing strategy is actually beneficial for publishers and developers.

Going back to the above mentioned partnership, IGA Worldwide couldn't help but show their delight regarding the matter. The company's CEO Justin Townsend elaborated:

This agreement expands the growth of our advertising network into social gaming. This is the first of a string of announcements in this exciting new space, with well over 20 titles signed and due for launch over the coming quarter, bringing our total available reach in line with that of a TV network.

As much as Acclaim Games' titles are for free, we could only hope that IGA Worldwide do this in a not so blatant manner and with taste. We're pretty sure there are artistic ways, rather than pure money making schemes, around this.

In-game advertising was one of the biggest issues that hit gamers and game developer alike in recent years. It's always been a part of gaming pretty much from the get go, with sports titles often plastered with real-world company logos and whatnot.

Bu a lot of people were put off by the overly anachronistic ads and spyware reports that popped up in a number of games in the past year (*cough*Battlefield 2142*cough*).

Despite the backlash over the whole issue, in-game advertising does have a good side. Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, Europe and part of IGA Worldwide">Ed Bartlett, vice president of IGA Europe and part of IGA Worldwide, the biggest name in in-game advertising in the whole world, said that IGA could help independent studios to keep possession of their own intellectual property.

Bartlett points to two titles - Stoked Rider and Trackmania - which were made available via free download thanks in part to IGA. This in turn has improved their developers' finances.

"Obviously the more players you have the more ad revenues you get, which makes it almost a self-fulfilling model. By having a bigger audience you bring in more ad revenues which means you can offset the costs even further," Bartlett explained.

"When you look at a big triple-A console release you're never going to be able to offset the entire cost of the release through advertising. But I think with a PC-only release, where you're reiterating a technology which has already been paid for and developed as it was with Trackmania, then I think you're looking at some exciting new models."

Not all developers are eager to explore the whole in-game advertising scenario, as Bartlett himself admits. IGA is still attempting to change its image, though, by showing evidence of its achievements so far. "We've seen some resistance from the smaller independent studios rather than the bigger studios, who are obviously our targets, so generally we're getting a very positive response," he said.

Personally, I welcome any kind of in-game advertising that would actually add something to a game's fun value. I can't think of anything off the bat other than all of the real-world cars in games like the Need For Speed and Gran Turismo games (come on, if that ain't advertising, then what is?).

With the sheer variety of games these days - from sims to historical shooters to fantasy - I'm trying to come to terms with the fact that anachronistic in-game ads will be in good supply for the years to come. Of course, there's also the issue of in-game ads making games cheaper for us gamers, but I'm not holding my breath on that one.

What's your take on this? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think.

GameDaily points out that tucked behind Battlefield 2142's manual is a white card that says that the users IP address and "other anonymous data" would be sent to a company called IGA Worldwide in order to deliver in-game advertisements. The disclaimer then says that users should not install or play the game on a system that's connected to the Internet if users aren't comfortable with having their information transmitted and collected by the IGA.

This isn't anything new. And since word of it got out, rumors spread, and people started claiming that Battlefield was forcing spyware into people's computers. Of course it was later confirmed that all that was being sent was IP addresses, geographical regions, info on what advertising the player has been exposed to already, and how big the ad was.

The situation of course raised online debate about whether or not in-game advertising is acceptable. Some argued that it's just the same as having to put up with movie trailers in DVDs, some said that it ruins the gaming experience. Some say that they're alright with it as long as the ads "fit" in the game world; contemporary ads (say a Coke billboard) for contemporary games (in GTA). Some say they don't really mind, and if given a choice between a game having to be more expensive and ad-free or having the game sport a few promos in it but have a lower tag, they'd choose the latter.

Steven Wong of GameDaily pointed something out that made sense. He says:

The biggest problems arise when the advertising takes priority over the game, so players end up spending money on long commercials. Sure, one could buy Burger King-themed games for kids for $4, but I can't imagine too many people who would be willing to spend $50 on something like that.

We guess it's all well and good to have in-game ads as long as it doesn't cross a certain line thematically (no modern ads in a fantasy game please!) and ethically (do not collect more than IP info), and the game still stays a game, not an interactive billboard with a patched on story.