Wipeout HD In-game Ads Nearly Double Load Times (Updated)

Update: Sony has now pulled the most common video ad, a commercial for State Farm, and vowed to "ensure that any in-game advertising does not affect gameplay."

Original: In-game advertisements recently added to Wipeout HD are nearly doubling the load times of some races, Shacknews can confirm. The video ads, served by advertising firm Double Fusion, occasionally play in a window as a race loads. Video evidence suggested that load times can last around twice as long when the ads are incorporated, a ratio that Shacknews can corroborate after independent testing.

After selecting a ship, it took us approximately 12 seconds to enter a race. With the ads playing, the race consistently loaded after around 20 seconds.

The advertisements were added several days ago in an update to the year-old game, but were not mentioned in the patch notes or by Sony. The first official word of the commercials came from a Double Fusion press release issued today.

"By introducing high-resolution dynamic video ads into Wipeout HD, Double Fusion is responding to advertiser demand and offering an engaging ad format while pushing in-game ad innovation to a new level," said Double Fusion CEO Jonathan Epstein.