Blow Up In-Game Ads In Mercs 2

Devs have been talking a big game about destructible environments from Dig Dug to Red Faction’s “Geo-Mod” technology, but how many of them would take the mentality of blow-everythang-up this far? In Pandemic’s latest “playground of destruction,” Mercenaries 2: World in Flames, you’ll be able to blow up forestry, oil tankers, everything – even the in-game ads. Biting the hand that feeds, Pandemic? Not really, if you ask their sponsors. Jay Sampson, vice president of game advertising firm Missive, had this to say:

There were no thoughts otherwise [on having the ads non-destructible]; it would seem very alien to the gamer. If you left an entire level charred with nothing but the billboard standing out like a sore thumb, I think you’d try to shoot them more and more, or you’d get on a blog and type, ‘Hey did you notice this?’

If it’s okay with you, it’s okay with me. Next time I see a Coke billboard during a Mercs 2 session, I’m calling a nuclear strike on it.

In fact, combustible ads might be better for business than we assumed, if only for a title like Mercs 2, Sampson went on to explain.

Destructible ads actually sell quite well; [advertisers see it] as a way to be engaged with the consumer.

Source: Gamedaily

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  • greeneggsnsam

    I like ads in games as long as they make the game seem more real and don’t detract from the experience. Since Mercs is set in real-world, and you can blow ‘em up, ads are fine by me.

  • http://www.barackobama.com/ DavidGX

    I hate ads in games as long as…. I just plain fucking hate them.

    The only reason I’m buying this game NEW and not used like I buy other games with ads in them is because a friend of mine will be buying it day-one and we’re going to play co-op. Otherwise it’d be a definite USED purchase.

    I’m sorry but it’s just unforgivable. I don’t care what time period or universe the game is set in or how realistic it is. I don’t care about “immersion” or “atmosphere” or any other sorry excuse people use to justify this to themselves. Ads do not belong in videogames.

  • needtocontrol

    I can’t wait for someone to blow up a billboard in real life and claim “in-game advertisers made me do it”. S’gonna happen.

    I’d like it taken further myself, how about a mission where you can blow up the advertisers themselves. “A soul-sucking marketing executive is escaping, take him down!”.