EA’s latest partnership sparks false rumors
Partnerships and acquisitions are a great way to tell what a company is planning to do next. So, when news broke that Electronic Arts had struck with Simulmedia, fans expressed concern. After all, Simulmedia is the very same company that is behind the playerWON in-game advertising system that awards players for watching video advertisements in games. It also didn’t help that, on the other side of the deal, this is EA we are talking about. The publisher is known for its money-centric business practices and in-game ads would certainly fit in with its reputation.
Lest we forget, EA once released premium loot boxes for Star Wars Battlefront 2, which destroyed the competitive fairness in the game. There were items and perks inside the said loot boxes that could affect the outcome of matches on their own. This, among other transgressions, led EA’s reputation among gamers to sour even further. Thankfully, EA didn’t let the current rumors go on for too long. The publisher immediately set things straight about its Simulmedia partnership: While this does help dispel rumors about video game ads appearing in EA titles, it doesn’t completely shut the door to the possibility.
What’s next for Electronic Arts?
Fans can look forward to Electronic Arts’ busy summer, which will supposedly be filled with video game announcements and a showcase at EA Play Live 2021. Chief among the games that EA is expected to reveal soon is a new Dead Space game. Numerous reports are claiming that the next Dead Space game is less of a sequel and more of a remake, similar to what Capcom did to Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3. EA is also sitting on a ton of new information about the next Mass Effect and Dragon Age games. Even though EA has confirmed that both these titles will not be making an appearance at EA Play Live 2021, this doesn’t mean that EA has no plans for those games soon. Going back to the topic of video game ads in EA games, we’re still not fully convinced that its partnership with Simulmedia doesn’t mean something. The statement, which only says that the company is “currently” not looking at the possibility of course leaves the door open for EA to pivot and add video game ads to its games in the future. Then again, this is a problem best left for our future selves to worry about.
