Sony has removed in-game ads from Wipeout HD following widespread protest among fans and claims that the “dynamic video advertisements” were slowing down load times.
If you complain, sometimes they will listen. A few days ago, Wipeout HD implemented a number of in-game advertisements, notably for State Farm Insurance, that appeared as videos during pre-race load screens. Fans cried foul and took to the internet to express their frustration, and now Sony has relented and pulled the ads.
As you can tell from this extreme example, the ads apparently weren’t just an annoying presence in the game, they drastically changed the experience. Load times lengthened to as long as ten seconds longer than they were before, and apparently would even show up in the game even if the PS3 wasn’t connected to the internet. I can only imagine the agony for the kind of speed demons who play Wipeout of waiting an extra ten seconds before you can get your race on.
“The ad has been removed from WipEout HD and we are investigating the situation to ensure that any in-game advertising does not affect gameplay,” Sony told Eurogamer.
Good job, internet. You got something done. For once.
