We are all used to in-game product placement, those vote Obama adverts in EA games like Battlefield and Burnout for instance. Now the online competitive sports title Empire of Sports is teaming up with winter sports equipment brand Völkl to bring us prizes in return.
This time there are a few upsides for us gamers. First of all it’s an advertisement that actually fits the target audience and feel of the game! Then there is the other point, a new event/competition in the game that for a sports MMO increases it’s longevity and appeal.
The Völkl Diamond Cup is a permanent event with four stages of qualification and finals every other Saturday. The winner will receive a full ski outfit (jacket and trousers worth £470) from the company’s Performance Wear range. Granted, it’s not as exciting as getting a battle axe for playing WoW but it fit’s the target demo. Imagine what would happen if you win, sitting at your PC playing a winter sports game in 30 Degree C summer heat in full winter gear, nice. For the average Empire of Sports gamer branded ski’s will also be included for use with the player avatar.
This is one of those things where there’s no harm done if you don’t win but the fact the product placement is optional shows some consideration from the game’s developers. The Empire of Sports game client can be downloaded from the game’s website found by simply googling the name.
That’s pretty tight, but I can barely tell from that screenshot that it’s a jacket based on the real-life one. So is that really good product placement?