EA recently filed a patent application for what the company calls an Automated Player Sponsorship System. If implemented, this system will automatically pair promising livestreamers with sponsors, making it easier for companies to advertise during their streams.
It almost feels like an understatement to say that livestreaming is a massive part of gaming culture. Livestreamers on Twitch, YouTube, and other streaming platforms can attract massive fanbases generating thousands or, in some cases, millions of views. While only a tiny portion of streamers ever see that kind of success, the number of livestream viewers makes it an attractive market for advertisers. The system described in EA's new patent is intended to automate this process.
EA's patent filing explains that companies are not always able to tell if a content creator is a good candidate for sponsorship on Twitch or YouTube, assuming potential advertisers are even able to find them at all. EA also describes how companies only have limited avenues in which to advertise during video content. EA believes that its new system will solve both problems by automatically pairing sponsors with content creators and inserting sponsored content either as an overlay or directly into the game.
It's too soon to say how EA's Automated Player Sponsorship System will work in practice. This seems like it could be an excellent opportunity for some content creators. However, it is easy to see how it could go wrong depending on the specific implementation.
For example, EA's patent documentation focused heavily on how the system will help advertisers vet content creators but doesn't say much about how well content creators will be able to vet advertisers. Platforms like YouTube only give content creators limited control over the ads that play on their videos, but actual sponsorships are individual agreements between the company and the content creator. This automated system seems like it is much closer to the former than to the latter.
The automated ad placement also sounds like it has the potential to be quite intrusive. Unskippable ads are already a common criticism of platforms like Twitch and YouTube, and viewers might not feel like directly inserting them into the game is a good solution. If nothing else, it at least has the potential to become quite intrusive. Granted, it is also possible that these concerns are unwarranted, and the Automated Player Sponsorship System proves massively successful. Still, EA and advertisers might want to tread carefully if and when it comes time to implement this system.