The heretic prophet should be a bigger deal

The game prizes was just as exciting this year as others, celebrating 2024's most notable titles and introducing some exciting new ones. Despite the hype generated by each of the trailers, one of the most controversial was Naughty Dog's next game, which aims to be the start of a fruitful franchise for the award-winning studio. The trailer for Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet itself looks quite promising with a unique blend of retro and sci-fi aesthetics with a stunning color palette. It was overshadowed by the sheer amount of product placements seen throughout the trailer.

Intergalactic was also one of two big games rumored to appear at The Game Awards, the other being the first official trailer for the upcoming Wizard 4. While viewers were certainly surprised by Naughty Dog's sudden announcement, the reaction was much less positive than expected following a series of brand additions. Viewers were quick to criticize Naughty Dog's upcoming release Ingeralactic social media bounty hunting venture, sparking debate about advertisements being at the forefront of many scenes in the trailer.

Intergalactic: Heretic Prophet Has Lots of Product Placement

Product inclusions that overshadowed an exciting announcement

Although the initial outcry was a bit exaggerated, it is true that Intergalactic isn't afraid to wear its product placement on its sleeve. In several scenes throughout the announcement trailer, some well-known brands such as Porsche, Adidas and Sony were quickly identifiable by their focus on their respective scenes. Although it is too early to say to what extent these product placements play a role IntergalacticIn the sci-fi gameplay, it's clear that they will be an unavoidable part of the experience.

With bounty hunter protagonist Jordan A. Mun's ship having a large Porsche logo emblazoned on the back, It's unlikely that these inclusions were added just because of The Game Awards announcement trailer. While Intergalactic is far from the first game to include paid sponsorships in its final product of promotional material, its presentation is what caused a huge outcry online. Despite the controversy surrounding Intergalacticadvertising methods, could still have a positive effect on the industry as a whole.

Product Placement Can Help Sustain the Gaming Industry

Keep costs low without affecting the price for players

With the demand for more expansive and detailed games growing every year, many developers are finding it difficult to keep up with ever-increasing standards to satisfy gamers. To put this into perspective, Naughty Dog's Own The last of us 2 it cost around US$220 million to develop, which nearly doubled the estimated US$100-150 million the television show requiredas noted TheLastofUsNews in X.

To offset these rising development costs that can easily reach hundreds of millions of dollars, many studios have resorted to increasing the base price of the games themselves, while also offering even more advanced additions that can push each release to staggering amounts that exceed double the asking price. .

While one of the additional deluxe or premium additions is not necessary to enjoy a modern gaming experience, paying the increased base cost is an unavoidable decision for fans. One way developers could match their growing budgets is by introducing varied product placements, which would allow them to strive for greater heights without losing favor by harming their player base.. At a time when the cost of games seems to be on the rise, this could be the perfect solution to support the growing financial needs in the gaming industry.

Given that games are starting to reach the same financial and cultural heights as the film industry, where product placement and advertising are already common, an increase in product placement seems like a natural progression for big-budget releases.

Does product placement distract from game narratives?

Thematic choices can go a long way toward adding immersion

While product placement is a surefire way to ruin immersion in most games, taking the player out of the experience by telling them they're enjoying a product rather than an experience. No one likes the feeling of watching an ad, especially when there's no way to ignore it, but there are still plenty of ways its inclusion can help strengthen, rather than detract from, a game with a similar setting to Intergalactic. Modern games could start embracing product placement instead of using it as a symbol of shameincorporating it into the gameplay in a more natural way that blends into the setting rather than overpowering it.

It's hard to imagine IntergalacticThe product placement level is in a classic Naughty Dog game like Jack and Daxter or UnknownIt is still too early to say whether this is an inappropriate inclusion for the Intergalactic. Some viewers like FrontlineGamer in X already pointed out how Intergalacticproduct placements are a perfectly normal inclusion for its retro-futuristic settingwith others adding that the products shown have no real-life equivalents and are purely decorative licenses.

With Intergalactic Taking place in an alternate universe where space travel was created in the 1980s, it takes clear inspiration from other retro-futuristic media like Cowboy Bebop or Akira, whose product placements are a completely natural inclusion. Given Intergalactic scenario of an alternative version of our world, Sci-fi versions of existing brands can help ground the game in reality rather than completely removing player immersion. This concept is especially true if your thematic inspirations tie into the retro style of IntergalacticThe Sony CD selector, which contrasts with its shiny Porsche ship.

Intergalactic Could Be a Big Change in the Way Games Are Made

A New Direction for the Triple-A Gaming Industry

Intergalactic also share a somewhat similar take on science fiction as one of the best comic book-inspired games, Marvel Guardians of the Galaxywhere protagonist Peter Quill's Sony Walkman plays a pivotal role in his character and personality. Although it is a little difficult to imagine how IntergalacticProtagonist Jordan's shiny Adidas sneakers have a similar effect, her use of a Sony sound system on a futuristic ship already seems to take inspiration from the popular character.

Intergalactic is also far from the first game to make use of product placement in its games, with many of Hideo Kojima's games Solid Metal Gear games being filled with brand references or advertisements for entire products being praised rather than criticized. Although this double standard seems a little unfair at first glance, the main complaint is that Intergalacticproduct placement is at the forefront of its announcement trailerwhich made a bad first impression on players watching for the first time.

The future of in-game product placement as a revenue source may depend on Naughty Dog's success Intergalacticwhich could be a huge opportunity for Triple-A studios. Despite the benefits of increased product placement for players and developers, there are always additional risks involved when it comes to working with limited licenses. Stranding of Death is a game with largely positive reception for its blatant product placement featuring Monster Energy as a key resource for survival, but its inclusion was quietly removed from the director's re-release, likely due to expiring licenses.

Sources: Naughty Dog/YouTube, FrontlineGamer/X

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