EA removes fullscreen adverts from UFC 4 after sneaking them in post-launch

EA has removed intrusive fullscreen advertisements from UFC 4 after sneaking them into the game after launch. 

After the game launched and the general reviews cycle was over, EA introduced fullscreen ads into the game’s replay system. Essentially, key moments of an in-game event became sponsored by real-life brands. Gameplay would also see smaller pop-ups at the bottom of the screen to make sure you knew who paid EA Big Money.

The first example of this featured Amazon’s superhero TV show The Boys. During the game, UFC 4 would fill the screen with a black screen featuring the show’s logo; the game’s Octogon ring also featured the show’s logo as its centerpiece.

EA decided to add full-on commercials in the middle of gameplay in a $60 game a month after it’s release so it wasn’t talked about in reviews
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In a statement to Eurogamer, EA apologised to its fans and explained that the feature has now been taken out of the game.

“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,” EA told Eurogamer.

“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.”

This isn’t the first time games have featured in-game advertisements after release. Capcom’s Street Fighter V gave players the ability to see in-game ads in order to earn additional virtual currency.