The in-game ad firm Double Fusion inked a multi-game deal with THQ, which will allow them to place in-game advertisements in their upcoming titles and franchises. Included in the deal are not only static advertisements but also real time adverts.

I for one am on the fence about this whole in-game advertising movement. Yes I understand that the advertisement in theory will allow developers more revenue to expand their titles and offer gamers new experiences but at what cost? Will we soon begin to see a K-Mart in World of Warcraft or maybe a Best Buy in Phantasy Star Universe? I think that in-game advertising must be handled very carefully if not it will in fact cheapen our experience as gamers.

I actually had a chance to take part in what I thought was a beta test of Splinter Cell: Double Agent a while back, but it turned out to be a glorified ad agency asking how many adverts I noticed while playing. I was a bit upset by the whole thing and gave the lady a piece of my mind, I doubt she will call me back for another “test”.