UPDATE: EA has removed the ads in question from UFC 4, and provided the following statement:
“Earlier this week, the team turned on ad placements in EA SPORTS UFC 4 that appeared during the ‘Replay’ moments in gameplay. This type of advertising inventory is not new to the UFC franchise, though we have typically reserved displaying ads to specific main menu tiles or Octagon logo placement. It is abundantly clear from your feedback that integrating ads into the Replay and overlay experience is not welcome. The advertisements have been disabled by the team and we apologize for any disruption to gameplay that players may have experienced. We realize that this should have been communicated with players ahead of time and that’s on us. We want to make sure our players have the best possible experience playing EA SPORTS UFC 4, so ad integration in the Replay and overlay experience will not be reappearing in the future. Thank you for your continued feedback on EA SPORTS UFC 4.”
Original story follows:
While it garnered a positive critical reception at launch, a change to EA’s UFC 4 has upset many fans, some of whom have taken to online message boards to vent their frustration. The change in question is real-world advertisements, which have been added to UFC 4’s matches in-game, and led to numerous complaints.
Fans are specifically pointing out the timing of the change, accusing EA of waiting until the reviews landed to avoid being dragged by critics. One post directly attacking the change has been upvoted nearly 90,000 times on the Subreddit, garnering thousands of individual comments from upset players. Another point of contention is UFC 4’s status as a full-priced game, which has added more fuel to the fire.
This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. NBA 2K 20 added unskippable ads post-launch, as did NBA 2K 19. That change came on top of controversial microtransaction practices, which were also unpopular among franchise fans. The ads for UFC 4, however, have seemingly been integrated in a way that resembles a live broadcast transition.
The change comes at an already-troubled time for EA. The company is currently dealing with the controversy surrounding Madden 21, which has been panned by both fans and critics. Neither has helped EA’s reputation as a company, which is often associated with annualized franchises and microtransactions by its critics.
Typically, in-game advertisements are relegated to free-to-play titles and mobile games, though there are plenty of games that make brand deals as well. Game series like Forza and Skate feature branded cars and clothing, respectively, though there are stranger crossovers, like Monster Energy being featured in Death Stranding.
With forms of monetization like loot boxes and microtransactions being put under the microscope by legislators around the world, in-game advertisements may be viewed as a safer alternative for companies to add to games. The primary controversy around loot boxes is the randomization element, which specific ads don’t have, avoiding any association with them being gambling. If in-game advertisements had a tangible, negative effect on sales, though, they likely wouldn’t make it into games.
UFC 4 is available now for PS4 and Xbox One.
