Take-Two last week proclaimed Grand Theft Auto IV as the “largest launch in the history of interactive entertainment,” as the title sold 6 million units globally in its first week, raking in approximately $500 million.
Now, a new report from The Economic Times suggests that the scale of GTA IV’s sales may push more brands into tapping in on in-game advertising.
GTA IV’s Mature rating and violent themes may not make it an advertiser’s dream. While the game does not offer in-game advertising opportunities, displaying only fictitious brands, its success shows that there is great potential.
“The success of GTA IV is the clearest sign yet that video games are going mainstream,” Paul Jackson, principal analyst at Forrester told the paper. “They are now capable of challenging the box-office takings of Hollywood blockbusters.”
Previous studies have shown that in-game ads can be effective, including in increasing brand familiarity, purchase consideration, and ad recall.
“When you play the game and you see how the ads are rendered you get a huge sense of the engagement,” said Cory Van Arsdale, CEO of Massive. “This will start to validate the direction we’re headed. It’s validating for advertisers and marketers the value of the engagement in the game.”
The scope of GTA IV’s influence on in-game advertising has yet to be seen, but Massive, an in-game ad firm, maintains that gamer reaction remains a key role in the industry even with the addition of more brands.
“What matters most to us is hearing back from our clients,” said Alison Lange, marketing director at Massive. “The second core piece is the gamer reaction to the ads to make sure we’re fulfilling our promise that the ads need to add to the experience and make the game more interactive.”
