Kodak {link no longer active} reports:
In the cinematic opening to every game in Madden 10, the team logos slam to the turf, game-of-the-week style. Then comes the Snickers promo. “Prepare for CHOMPETITION.” OK, I – forgive me – Snickered at that the first time.
Then boothman Tom Hammond pipes up, informing us that this broadcast is sponsored by, of course, Snickers, and to “play like a CHOMPION.” And as a final reminder at the coin toss, Snickers tells us “CHEWS WISELY.”
All of this follows a Snickers ad on the loading screen. For sports fans who like stats, that’s four direct advertising messages, three of them puns, before you even snap the ball.
Sprint and Burger King also have in-Madden advertising, but what bothered Kotaku writer Owen Good about the Snickers integration was how the game’s announcers joined in the action, questioning whether or not paying $60 for a game was enough to not be inundated with advertising.
Maybe there’s a way to release for-pay DLC to turn off a game’s advertising, or to not make it too integral to the game experience (although the recent Wipeout HD loading screen ads weren’t accepted too happily). Does he have a point, or is this just par for the future course of game marketing?
