Double Fusion Inks Ad Integration Deal With Take-Two

By Eric Fisher, Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal

Double Fusion To Offer Integrated Advertising For Nine Take-Two Interactive Titles

Double Fusion, a S.F.-based provider of in-game advertising for video games, has struck a multi-year agreement with Take-Two Interactive in which it will be the exclusive North American and European representative for integrated advertising for nine 2K titles, including MLB 2K8, NBA 2K8 and NHL 2K8. The program’s development will be led in part by Julie Shumaker, Double Fusion VP/Worldwide Sales, who joined the company in August after developing Electronic Arts’ in-game advertising program. Financial terms were not disclosed, but the deal is a revenue-sharing agreement that will include both dynamic and static advertising. The pact is also another sign of the fast-advancing market for video game advertising, and follows Microsoft’s purchase earlier this year of Massive Inc., one of Double Fusion’s key competitors. “We see this deal as another big step forward toward true dynamic advertising for video games,” said Jonathan Epstein, Double Fusion President and CEO. “About 85, 86% of all advertising time is bought on a time-specific basis, but this type of ad buy is still in its infancy in our space. The barriers as we know them today are going to be falling quickly.”