Electronic Arts has officially announced EA Advertising, a new platform the company says will help brands connect with players more effectively—by weaving them “directly into gameplay.”
When EA introduced the plan, it said the service is set to change “how brands engage with audiences through digital and real-world experiences within its extensive portfolio of games.” In particular, it points to “dynamic, real-time” ad placements designed to “enhance, not interrupt, the player experience.”
EA groups these placements under the umbrella of “interactive gameplay environments,” and EA Sports is naturally positioned as a central focus. The publisher will supply “native ad units” for its sports releases, including recognizable elements such as billboards, scoreboards, and other branded layers. It also outlines a Partner Program—“a new model for how brands engage with sports culture”—which EA says aims to move “beyond traditional sponsorships into co-created fan experiences” across, within, and around games.
Beyond that, EA is also looking at additional categories of in-game brand promotion, including challenges, “reward-driven” objectives, and other branded gameplay components. EA notes that advertisers can respond to player activity by refreshing goals and introducing extra in-game content—like skins—as the campaign unfolds.
EA, of course, has spent time over the years testing advertising inside games. It started nearly two decades ago with relatively simple in-game billboard ads in Burnout Paradise and other titles, but its methods have evolved a lot since then.
Advertising is especially common in EA Sports titles, partly because they mirror the sports that inspire them. Still, EA has pushed the approach further in more recent years. A prominent example is UFC 4, which included full-screen ads that players couldn’t skip during action replays. EA later removed those ads after complaints from fans.
EA has also expanded the use of sponsored in-game challenges across its lineup. Last year, the company teamed up with Red Bull on a set of in-game challenges in Battlefield 6.
EA’s decision to bring its brand advertising efforts together under a formal new name is hardly surprising, particularly after it told investors in 2024 that it considers advertising “a significant driver of growth.” Even so, it’s disappointing that this approach appears to have become so established that—according to reports—platform operators are even considering ad-supported service tiers.