Are PlayStation Users Ready for an Advertising Bombardment?
While PlayStation is already drawing criticism from gamers for its plans to move away from physical discs, a new debate has been ignited on the advertising side. Some job postings published by Sony suggest the company is exploring ways to increase the use of advertising within the PlayStation ecosystem. It’s not yet clear where and how this will be implemented, but there’s a significant clue that the plans may not be limited to game advertising.
How Could PlayStation Ads Change?
One of the notable job postings is for a Director of Client Partnerships position that will help Sony partner with different clients for advertising opportunities. The use of the term “non-endemic brands” in the posting is noteworthy. This suggests that in the future, brands from sectors such as automotive, food, technology, or other consumer goods might be considered for advertising on PlayStation.
Advertisements on PlayStation consoles aren’t entirely new. The PS5 interface already displays promotions for new games, downloadable content, and various PlayStation campaigns. What’s different about the new job postings is that they suggest the advertising network could expand to include third-party and non-gaming companies. Whether this will remain limited to the console’s home screen or extend into in-game content is yet to be seen.
Sony’s primary goal in taking such a step might be to increase revenue from each PlayStation user. Similar models have been tried before by different publishers in the gaming industry. Companies like EA, in particular, have long been open to advertising and sponsorship models that increase the visibility of third-party brands in sports games. However, players generally don’t react positively to aggressive advertising in full-priced games or on console interfaces.
The timing is also crucial for Sony. The decision to discontinue physical discs and the subsequent PS Blackout movement, which we previously detailed, demonstrate that the brand’s recent decisions are already being heavily debated. Making ads more visible and frequent could create a new wave of backlash. However, at this stage, there is no officially announced advertising system. Job postings only show that this area is being explored more seriously on the PlayStation side.
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