Electronic Arts is getting into the advertising game.On Monday, the video game publisher and developer launched EA Advertising, a platform allowing brands and advertisers to reach its 120 million gamers in its global portfolio of interactive gaming and entertainment across console, PC and mobile devices.In its EA Sports division alone, the company reported that fans play the equivalent of 23,000 NFL seasons daily in Madden and complete more than 1 billion matches each month in EA Sports FC. According to EA, brands and advertisers face barriers in the gaming industry tied to measurement, targeting and player engagement and sentiment. Gamers historically found advertising intrusive to their gaming experience, a struggle that prevented brands from measuring or targeting effectively. “As entertainment shifts from passive viewing to active participation, brands are rethinking how they connect with audiences,” Alex Dao, VP of advertising and sponsorships at EA, told Campaign in an email. “That's the opportunity EA Advertising is built to address. Increasingly, consumers are choosing games not just as entertainment, but also as places where they compete and connect around what they love.” The EA Advertising platform will let brands reach gamers through brand integrations, native ad units and privacy-safe audience insights.(Photo credit: EA, used with permission)Through brand integrations, a brand or agency can embed themselves in stadium signage or custom in-game items through dynamic, real-time placements that won’t disrupt a player’s experience. By activating across those live environments, brands will be able to customize their placements based on audience objectives, as well as update and optimize campaigns through player engagement.Advertisers can utilize native ad units through select EA Sports games, promoting themselves through digital ad boards, scoreboards or brand broadcast overlays. These units are dynamically served in a 3D environment and feature impression measurement on par with IAB standards for greater targeting and consistency.Brands can also use advanced targeting powered by EA’s new proprietary ad server and software development kit (SDK), custom built for EA’s Frostbite game engine to improve targeting and gain deeper campaign insights in a privacy-safe way and are industry-accredited standards in partnership with Integral Ad Science.Dao said what makes EA Advertising significant is that it’s a natural extension of its platform. “Rather than layering advertising on top of gameplay, we’re creating opportunities for brands to participate in the worlds and moments that make our games meaningful,” Dao said. “We believe brands belong where culture is created, and increasingly, that culture is being created inside interactive worlds.”Meanwhile, a select group of brand partners will be able to participate in the EA Sports Partner Program, which gives them access to the program’s sports communities through opportunities, including live events such as EA Sports Presents Madden Bowl and franchise tentpole moments such as Ratings Reveals, in-game integrations, live service activations, creator tools, social play experiences and community-driven programs. The program also extends into the company’s Gen/EA Sports initiative, which supports real-life young athletes in their personal branding and content creation goals.Visa, Lowe’s, Coach, State Farm, Red Bull, Mountain Dew, Peacock and Xfinity are among the brand partners that have signed on to use EA Advertising. Visa, which is a partner of EA Sports FC and EA Sports College Football, delivered immersive experiences in and beyond the game. Lowe’s placed itself in EA Sports FC, Madden and College Football through Ultimate Team challenges and branded player content, which drove more than 987 games played and more than 200,000 challenges completed. Red Bull engaged EA Sports FC players through branded in-game objectives, team kits and athlete ambassador collaborations, driving more than 128 million matches played, 1.2 million objectives completed and strong in-game and social engagement. (Photo credit: EA, used with permission)Meanwhile, Xfinity and Peacock activated through dynamic in-stadium and broadcast-style integrations, custom vanity kits, Ultimate Team Packs and personalized rewards through the Rewards program, within EA Sports FC 26, while Mountain Dew launched Dew University, a playable team experience in EA Sports College Football 26 that featured a custom stadium, mascot and reward ecosystem.Dao said what stood out the most from all these partnerships is the spirit of collaboration.“The brands we’re working with aren’t looking to force traditional advertising into games,” Dao said. “They want to understand the community, the culture and the player experience first. That mindset has led to some really creative partnerships, and it’s reinforced our belief that the best brand experiences are built with players, not just for them.”He added the common thread between how EA Advertising benefits players, brands and advertisers is authenticity. “When brands show up in ways that feel natural to the game, everybody wins,” Dao said.