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Blizzard looking to hire "product placement" producer for next-gen MMO
As Blizzard charges into 2012 with three big releases (Mists of Pandaria, StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, and Diablo III) coming soon, rumors begin to swirl as a new job posting became available on the Blizzard career site for a franchise development producer. The interesting facts in the job listing are that the position is for the next-gen MMO, focused on working with consumer brands and creating brand-extending merchandise. What does this mean for the next-gen MMO currently roasting slowly at Blizzard's complex? We don't really know. If we look at other games that have had advertising, it's usually in the form of billboards or sponsorships, featuring products that you and I know of. The possibilities for where ads could go within the game world of an MMO are endless, but it does preclude some settings and time periods. Intriguing, no? Something to freak out about? Definitely not.
Blizzard job listing mentions 'product placement' within its next MMO
When details of Blizzard's upcoming casual MMO, code-named Titan, are incredibly scarce due to the developer's ironclad secrecy, it falls to enterprising fans to ferret out any scraps of information that may exist. One such player on the NeoGAF forums was combing through a Blizzard job posting for a Franchise Development Producer and noted an interesting line that indicated the studio could be mulling over the idea of in-game ads for its next MMO. The line in question specifies that one of the duties of the position is to "work with major consumer brands to facilitate product placement and licensing within the world of Blizzard Entertainment's next-gen MMO that enhances the gameplay experience." Whether this is a sign that we'll be seeing billboards for Skittles while we raid or that players will be able to get endorsements and decorate their outfits a la NASCAR cars is anyone's guess. It's important to note that the rest of this position entails a number of efforts to promote Blizzard's "next-gen MMO" outside of the tight-knit gaming sphere, including comics, action figures, and short movies.
