EA Apologizes and Removes In-Game UFC 4 Ads

In case you missed it, EA got in a bit of hot water with fans after adding unskippable ads to certain sections of the recently released video game UFC 4. Specifically, an instance of UFC 4 showing ads for Season 2 of Amazon’s The Boys during a replay segment made the rounds and caused a stir. That said, it looks as if EA has taken the extremely negative feedback to heart, and will not be going this route again.

“Earlier this week, the team turned on ad placements in EA SPORTS UFC 4 that appeared during the ‘Replay’ moments in gameplay,” a statement on the issue from EA, shared to Reddit, reads. “This type of advertising inventory is not new to the UFC franchise, though we have typically reserved displaying ads to specific main menu tiles or Octagon logo placement. It is abundantly clear from your feedback that integrating ads into the Replay and overlay experience is not welcome. The advertisements have been disabled by the team and we apologize for any disruption to gameplay that players may have experienced. We realize that this should have been communicated with players ahead of time and that’s on us. We want to make sure our players have the best possible experience playing EA SPORTS UFC 4, so ad integration in the Replay and overlay experience will not be reappearing in the future. Thank you for your continued feedback on EA SPORTS UFC 4.”

Essentially, EA admits that this was the wrong move and that the company won’t be making the same one again. It’s worded in such a way that it doesn’t preclude EA from finding other ways to surreptitiously insert in-game advertisements, however, but considering that the ads from the replay gameplay seem to be gone for good, this feels like a win for everyone that complained about it.

EA Sports UFC 4, which is the full name for the title, is currently available for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the latest and greatest UFC video game right here.

What do you think of the whole kerfuffle? Have you been playing UFC 4? Let us know in the comments, or hit me up directly on Twitter at @rollinbishop to talk all things gaming!