Sportswear Brands Now Playing in Video Games
It appears on every PlayStation and Xbox video screen sooner or later: the dreaded “Game Over.” But activewear brands like Nike, Adidas, Reebok and Puma are just beginning to play in the video game arena.
In “Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005,” Woods wears the Nike swoosh logo on his polo shirt, baseball cap and even golf club. In “NBA Live 2004,” players can choose the Nike shoes their basketball player wears, from Air Foamposite Pro Colorway 3s to LeBron James’ choice, Air Zoom Generations. And in “NFL Street 2,” receivers are wearing Reebok’s NFL line of apparel.
Sportswear product placement in video games is increasing fast, and with good reason. According to a 2004 report by the Entertainment Software Association, video and computer game sales in the U.S. reached $7 billion in 2003 and continue to grow. That makes gaming almost as big as the U.S. movie industry. (Domestic box-office returns have hovered around $9.5 billion for the past three years, according to the Motion Picture Association.) The average gamer is 29 and expects to be playing as much or more 10 years from now. And girls and young women now account for about 39 percent of game players, a figure that is steadily growing.