The mysterious face in Madden 08
by 
A while back I posted a screen from one of the Madden videos showing a face in the score/info bar (above). This face has been spotted at various times in different videos for the game. No one really had an answer for what it represented. However thanks to "coogrfan" who is a member of several forums we have our first plausible theory.
He posted two screens from other videos (which you can view below by clicking the thumbnails) and was able to determine that the face was from an ad for "Massive Soldiers" seen on the scoreboard. Could this be the first sign of the new agreement that EA Sports has with Massive Network, a provider of real-time updated in-game advertising?
I've never had a problem with in-game advertising. To the contrary I feel that it increases the realism of sports titles when they're represented in the same way they are experienced in real life. These ads shouldn't be intrusive within the games, they should come across as being natural.
That is something that isn't the case with this face that has appeared. What is it doing in the score/info bar? What good does it do when no one knows what the hell it's there for? I suppose it could simply be a placeholder for ads to come. And why is it visible only some of the time? It seems so out of place and isn't similar to anything you would see while watching an NFL game.
That face being there was bizarre regardless. I originally had hoped that the Xbox 360 Vision Camera was being used to upload your photo to display during challenges or something along those lines. If this face is an example of the way ads are going to be placed and utilized in future EA Sports games I now for the first time feel a bit of concern.
August 5, 2007 at 10:27 am
you’re absolutely right padre…if this actually is in the game then that blows
August 5, 2007 at 11:37 am
Its true. Imagine playing and seeing the face of the Burger King man. Kinda Scary.
August 5, 2007 at 12:08 pm
Pasta I check this out and didn’t see anything. I posted it on my impressions on the site. I specifically looked for this.
August 5, 2007 at 1:52 pm
EA is already robbing everyone who buys this game every year. To top it off they’re going to force ads onto you while keeping the price at the ridiculously high level it’s always at. I wish the NFL license would get freed up…
August 5, 2007 at 2:07 pm
This isn’t an EA specific issue. Although the placement of this particular thing is certainly questionable. If you played All-Pro Football then you’d know they had a very evident ad presence.
August 5, 2007 at 2:27 pm
Indeed. It’s really not a direction I want to see games going in, but I suppose it’s inevitable.
August 5, 2007 at 3:07 pm
this is the xbox gamer pic they are using its not an ad
August 5, 2007 at 9:35 pm
kinda off topic but have you heard anything about the demo for Madden 08 yet
August 5, 2007 at 9:46 pm
Here’s the thing about in game advertising that irks me. If any company is gonna be dropping money to advertise in the game. More power to them, just make the game cost less. If Nike is gonna drop 5 mill on sponsoring Madden next year the game knock 10 bucks off it.
August 5, 2007 at 11:01 pm
I heard that its a Xbox 360 Gamer picture or something.
August 5, 2007 at 11:52 pm
Nothing specific on the demo but its expected this week. Early in the AM Tuesday or Wednesday would be my guess.
August 6, 2007 at 11:43 am
I told you that it was advertising! I remember when you first posted the piece about the mysterious face, I had stated that I saw it on one of the billboards in the game.
August 6, 2007 at 12:35 pm
“Cant tell U Says: “this is the xbox gamer pic they are using its not an ad”
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That’s certainly a possibility. The ad and the icon could both be test samples or placeholders, and EA simply reused the same face twice. We’ll see.