EA Ads Lead Reveals In-Game Ad Plans for Top Franchises

Gaming’s relationship with advertising is shifting, and Electronic Arts is positioning itself at the center of that evolution. In a recent conversation with journalist Christopher Dring of The Game Business, Alexander Dao, Head of EA Ads, outlined how the company is rethinking the role of advertisements across its biggest franchises. The discussion focused on where ads make sense, how player feedback is shaping strategy, and why EA believes the industry is entering a new phase where advertising can support development without compromising gameplay.

Mobile gaming has already normalized advertising to the point where it’s a core part of the experience. Free-to-play titles rely on it, and players have come to expect it. Console and PC gaming, however, sits in a different space. Dring pointed out a notable gap: when you pause a movie or show on Amazon Prime, sponsored products often appear on screen. That doesn’t happen when you pause a console or PC game,and that’s exactly the opportunity the industry, and EA specifically, is looking to fill.

Before diving into the interview, Dring referenced Matthew Ball’s report, The State of Video Gaming in 2026, which highlights five major areas of growth for the industry. These include non-core markets like China, where growth has outpaced mature markets; advertising, which has accounted for 37-145% of annual industry growth since 2021; direct-to-consumer channels like the Sims 4 Marketplace and EA Play; external development for art, design, and engineering; and Roblox, which now averages more monthly users than Steam, PlayStation, and Fortnite combined.

Ball used NBA 2K as an example of the potential for in-game ads. “2K said last year that 2.5 billion games of NBA 2K are played a year,” he noted. “If we think very basically, that’s 2.5 billion games that were match made and have some loading screens. That’s such an extraordinary amount of inventory. Would Ford Mustang or Old Spice pay some pretty sum for that inventory with a targeted valuable audience? Of course.”

Dao kept the conversation focused on how EA is approaching advertising inside its games. He didn’t talk about rolling ads into every franchise. Instead, he spent most of the interview explaining where ads feel natural and where they don’t. Sports titles were his clearest example, because they already mirror real-world environments that include advertising. Anything outside that space needs careful handling.

Dao said the industry is in a different place now. The tools for measuring player behavior have improved, and publishers have a better sense of how people respond to different formats. Even with that, he stressed that EA won’t move ahead unless players show they’re comfortable. He described ads as something that relies on trust over time, not a quick way to boost revenue.

EA uses audience research to decide which brands make sense inside its games. Dao pointed to surveys and player feedback as the main way they choose partners. The Sims’ collaboration with Coach was one example. Players had already shown interest in fashion-focused content, and the brand fit the style of the game without disrupting play. EA sees this kind of data as the guide for any future partnerships, especially if advertising becomes more common across its franchises.

Dao didn’t suggest that The Sims is about to become a testing ground for new ad formats. He spoke about ads in places where they already feel natural, and The Sims doesn’t fall into that category. The game doesn’t mirror real-world environments in the same way sports titles do, and players treat it as a creative space rather than a broadcast space. That makes intrusive formats unlikely.

What EA Ads will continue doing is using player research to decide which brands fit the world of The Sims. The Coach collaboration was the example he used. Players had already shown interest in fashion-focused content, and the brand matched the tone of the game. EA sees this type of partnership as the model for The Sims going forward. If ads appear, they will be tied to content players have asked for, not placements that interrupt building or storytelling. The interview made it clear that any advertising inside the game will depend on player appetite and the fit of the brand.

EA Ads is watching the franchise closely, but only to understand what players respond to, not to introduce formats that would change how the game feels. This is not to say experimental ideas won’t be tried with the release of titles such as Project X.

Christopher Dring’s full interview with Alexander Dao is available on The Game Business, and Matthew Ball’s The State of Video Gaming in 2026 presentation can be found on Epyllion. What are your thoughts on the changing gaming landscape? Let us know in the comments below, and stay tuned to Sims Community for all the latest on Electronic Arts.