EA wants ads built into PC and console games

Electronic Arts is trying to turn in-game advertising into a larger, recurring business for PC and console games—following a model that has already taken hold on mobile.

Speaking to The Game Business, EA Vice President of Advertising and Sponsorships Alexander Dao said brands can be integrated more carefully than they often are today. The strongest results, he argued, come when advertising is considered during development rather than added to a finished game.

The opportunity is substantial. According to The Game Business, mobile in-game advertising generated about $55 billion in 2025, excluding China. Console and PC games still capture a much smaller share of that spending, and EA appears to want to turn brand placements from occasional campaigns into a more dependable revenue stream.

EA Advertising and in-game integration

EA has already begun building the infrastructure. In June 2024, the company launched EA Advertising, a platform intended to standardize ad delivery and measurement in games built on its Frostbite engine.

The platform offers advertisers more than a banner in the corner of the screen. Brands can provide ready-made 3D assets, or have conventional advertising materials converted into three-dimensional formats for use inside a game.

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Dao said the approach is better suited to new projects—especially free-to-play titles such as Skate—than to retrofitting advertising into older games. Developers can plan placements across the interface, environment and in-game economy without disrupting an experience that has already been designed.

EA is also working with the Interactive Advertising Bureau and Integral Ad Science on industry standards for how ads should appear in games and how their visibility should be measured. Clear metrics are essential for advertisers deciding whether game placements can compete with established mobile formats.

Dao’s focus is authenticity. A successful integration should feel like part of the game world rather than an interruption, and in some cases could even strengthen the setting or experience.

The Sims partnership and player resistance

EA points to a collaboration between The Sims and fashion brand Coach in early 2026 as an example. The company gave players virtual clothing and bags for free, while the partnership spread quickly across social media and gaming blogs.

That arrangement gave Coach visibility, players free content and EA a branded integration that did not resemble a forced video before a mission. But the company acknowledges that not every advertising format will be accepted by players. If the audience reacts negatively, EA says it is prepared to remove the advertising and try another approach.

That caution separates EA’s plan from a simple push to fill games with commercial messages. The company is willing to test formats, but does not want games to become storefronts built around a marketer’s agenda.

Competitors remain more skeptical. In March, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said interstitial ads in games priced at $70–80 would be unfair to buyers. He added that sponsored billboards in NBA 2K are primarily an image-building exercise rather than a meaningful source of revenue.

EA is therefore positioning itself as an early mover, with a condition: advertising must be designed into the game rather than pasted over it. If the publisher can show that brands fit without alienating players, other companies may adopt the same model in genres where users are more comfortable with free-to-play economics and sponsored content.