Street Fighter 5 brought back its in-game advertising today, informing players that there is a new line of Street Fighter and Monster Hunter t-shirts from Japanese clothing shop Uniqlo debuting later this spring. Luckily, Capcom has reworked the advertisements to be less egregious than they were previously, and the product being advertised is a well-timed partnership capitalizing on the strong start to Capcom's 2019.
Street Fighter 5's in-game advertising was heavily criticized by fans when it debuted. Originally, the system offered players in-game currency in exchange for allowing ads, which would then appear on loading screens, stages, and even on character's outfits. Fans who followed the story closely will likely remember that even Dhalsim's trademark necklace was branded with advertising, prompting outrage from the Street Fighter community that eventually led to the advertising being dismissed.
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Even at the time, though, fans knew the removal of the advertising was likely temporary, and it has returned today, according to Event Hubs. Street Fighter 5's new in-game advertisements function a lot differently than they previously did, though. They still appear in stages, but it's only Capcom Pro Tour-themed stages. The ads also appear during pre-match loading, but have thankfully been left off of character models, which indicates that Capcom has learned from its previous mistake and is avoiding the element of in-game advertising that offended the most players. Players will also receive a small portion of Fight Money if they choose to enable the game's adverts.
While the first instance of this practice was received quite poorly, part of it was likely because it felt like a self-serving interest from Capcom, branding everything with ads for its own Pro Tour. This time around, there's something being offered to players: the chance to view and potentially then purchase clothing that reflects their interest in the products Capcom offers. Sure, it's still benefiting the developer, but at least players have the opportunity to get something out of it rather than simply get bombarded with reminders of Street Fighter 5's Pro Tour.
To be honest, the clothing actually looks quite nice, too. Fans of Capcom properties could do much worse than taking a look at Uniqlo's new Street Fighter and Monster Hunter line. Here's a few samples:
It seems that Street Fighter 5's in-game advertising model has been worked out, then. We'll see how fans respond - it's unlikely everyone will be a fan of them coming back, but as always, players can opt-in on the advertisments and earn a small amount of Fight Money for their participation. If Capcom is adamant that advertising will be featured in its game, then at least it isn't branding its own characters to try and sell something to people. In a year where Capcom can seemingly do no wrong, we'll find out if that extends to the company's use of in-game advertising.
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Source: Event Hubs