ow do you ignore an ad in the midst of a high-adventure chase video game online? You can't. Taking in-game placements a step further, Electronic Arts (EA), publisher of some of the most popular video games in the market, has signed its first major deals to serve dynamic advertising within several of its titles. The company announced that it is partnering deals with two leading in-game advertising firms: Microsoft-owned Massive Inc. and IGA Partners.

Under the deal with Massive, EA will begin serving ads within the latest version of the popular racing game Need for Speed, a first among several other titles. Interestingly however, the deal is applicable on games played on Microsoft's Xbox 360, but does not include any played on Sony's more popular PlayStation 2. As for IGA, EA will similarly begin serving ads within the war-themed PC game Battlefield 2142. At least two more titles are expected to be added to the list. ... more