Advertisers Have No Interest In PlayStation Home [High-Profile Companies Would Rather Run Ads On XBL, Home Is Too Expensive]

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PlayStation Home, the Second Life-like virtual world that is free to all PlayStation 3 owners is one feature that (the often lagging) PlayStation network has over competitor Xbox Live. The vibrant virtual world features full 3D stores and billboards that are sponsored by real life companies. However, according to a report by advertising trade magazine Brandweek – advertisers really don’t care about PlayStation Home, they’d rather get in on PSN.

There was a lot of hype of PlayStation Home when it was revealed three years ago, and when it was sent into public beta two years ago – but despite all that, many doubt that the service is really used that much, or really that compelling to consumers. An executive at the Denuo marketing group told Brandweek that he felt PlayStation Home was “clunky” and that “there wasn’t much there”.

Likewise, an editor for gaming industry website Gamasutra told Brandweek that PlayStation Home isn’t “relevant to the casual or hardcore [gamer] market”. Although PlayStation Home features tons of 3D games and abilities to watch movies with friends, Leigh Alexander, the Gamasutra editor, said that users on the web are much more into networking with real friends, like via Facebook, and they want information served to them fast, regardless if it’s a web page or expensive 3D virtual world.

Brandweek learned that when Sony’s sales ad team approached advertisers about PlayStation Home, the fees not only required a six-digit premium, but also required the advertisers to provide their own high-resolution 3D storefronts and images. The advertisers said that Microsoft’s ad offerings on the Xbox 360 dashboard were much more appealing and cost-effective.

PlayStation Home does have some high-profile advertisers, including LucasArts, Red Bull, the US Army and the Fox television network. But if Sony can’t attract as many ad clients as they want, PlayStation Home, which looks to likely be expensive to develop and maintain, may either become a paid service or be canceled outright.