If it’s in the game, it’s in the game.
And the never-ending grab for cash is now fully in the game.
The NFL and Electronic Arts announced on Tuesday the creation of a “Madden NFL Virtual Stadium Sponsorship Program,” which will bring actual NFL sponsors into the stadiums of the Maddenverse. The official sponsors of all 32 NFL teams and league partners will have the opportunity (for the requisite fee) to put their real-world stadium ads into their virtual counterparts.
For now, only one brand has signed up. (They don’t pay us to mention them, so we won’t.)
Frankly, it’s amazing that it’s taken this long for EA and the NFL to mine this specific revenue stream. Whatever the dollars may be, it’s more than what they were previously getting.