Video Games Could Have Movie-Style Product Placement to Counter Rising Costs, Ex-Dragon Age Boss Says
As big budget video game development gets more costly, including TV and movie-style product placement could help make up the shortfall, Mark Darrah, former executive producer of Dragon Age at BioWare, has suggested. In a lengthy video discussing the future of video game monetization, Darrah highlighted the growing trend of AAA games incorporating live-service elements to ensure players continue spending after launch.
Many video games rely on post-launch content or live-service models to recoup the massive investments required for development. However, not every game can thrive under these models, Darrah noted. He emphasized the need for alternative revenue streams to support the industry. "My understanding is the live-action Smurfs movie paid for itself entirely through product placement," Darrah said. "So the movie was effectively made for zero dollars simply through the sale of product placement. Contrast that with the way that games make money."
Subscription services like Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus also have limitations, he continued. While they offer access to a wide array of games, many titles earn very little from being included. Darrah warned that these platforms could lead to "degenerative design" aimed at boosting numbers. He also pointed out the risks of over-reliance on microtransactions, which can skew the industry toward certain genres while stifling others.
The Impact of Live-Service Models
"The over-reliance on microtransactions is overemphasizing certain genres and stopping others from flourishing," Darrah noted. He argued that not everything can be a live-service game. "I hope we've proven pretty definitively over the past year and a half that everything can't be a live-service. If monetization is coming predominantly from live-services, we run the risk of living in a world where there are no AAA games that aren't live-services. And I don't think that's a world that any of us want to live in."
Sony and Xbox have both taken steps back from their live-action service game plans. Sony pulled back after the failure of Concord, while Xbox cancelled an unannounced MMO from ZeniMax Online Studios. These moves reflect growing concerns about the sustainability of current monetization models.
So, is there an opportunity for games to explore different ways of generating revenue? Darrah concluded that there is. "Product placement is a very small part of video games right now compared to movies and television. Maybe it could be a larger part of development. Maybe there are relationships there to be formed."
Darrah served as executive producer on every major Dragon Age game at BioWare over a career spanning nearly two decades. He previously discussed how the poorly-received Dragon Age: The Veilguard began as a live-service game before being rebooted. Although some elements from that version remained, the game's commercial failure prompted publisher EA to reconsider its approach. Fans of the franchise, however, were not in favor of the proposed changes.
It's hard to imagine The Veilguard being saved with product placement, but the idea is not without its humor. One could imagine Rook calling in a character from an Old Spice ad for the final battle, or chugging down a Mountain Dew-flavored Fereldan ale as a power-up. Or perhaps donning beskar battle armor to promote The Mandalorian and Grogu. Maybe a live-service Dragon Age wouldn't have been so bad after all.
Darrah has since left BioWare, but the studio continues its work, focusing solely on developing a new Mass Effect game. Despite the progress, the project still lacks a release date.
