In game advertisements invade 2K Sports

In game advertising is becoming big business as video games take time away from TV and the 2K Sports series is the latest to jump on the ad bandwagon. Up to nine 2K Sports Games will have ads in them published by Double Fusion. Previously in game ads were restricted to billboards in levels or in the case of sports games banners in stadiums. Double Fusion is going a step further with “deep integration into gameplay and storylines”. Are we going to have the Nike half time show in NBA 2K8 or maybe there will be celebrity mascot pitches by the King from Burger King in Major League Baseball 2K8. Do product placements in video games make them more realistic as claimed by the ad agencies or are they annoying? Maybe they would be more acceptable if ad placement brought down the price of games. It hasn’t yet, but what if ad sponsored copies of 2K Sports games sold for $20 would that be fair?