Brand integration in NBA2K18 Virtual World

Over the past several years, brands have entered the world of video games as part of their branded content strategy. There are two types of video game advertising: advergaming and in-game advertising. The aim of the study was to analyze how is the presence of different brands in the game NBA2K18, along with its different formats. NBA2K18 is a series of basketball video games developed by Sega Dreamcast. This study is positioned in the interpretative paradigm with a qualitative methodology. For data collection, the technique used was the participatory observation. As a result, it was evidence that the different participating brands in NBA2K18 have mimicked with the game storytelling in the players' self-realization process. They have applied both dynamic and static in-game advertising formats throughout the game. Brands have managed to be part of the narrative; this result would have been completely different if they had created a game from scratch as proposed by the advergaming model.