French games publisher Ubisoft offered four back catalogue core PC titles for free download through the IGN PC gaming distribution website, Fileplanet, over the first weekend of September (Labor Day). These downloads incorporate static in-game advertising - implemented and managed by Double Fusion - to generate revenue. The advertising consists of static banner type pop ups at save points and accompanying menu screens and short animated flash adverts at periodic points during gameplay. The advertiser is US fast food distributor MacDonalds. The games were intended to be restricted to US users only, however problems in enforcing this policy appear to have led Ubisoft to remove the ad-supported titles.

This is the first time that premium PC games content (albeit back catalogue titles) has been distributed in this way using an ad-supported business model. Of course ad-supported games content has flourished in other sectors - for example the casual games sector and also free to play online games but in this instance the titles, which included the highly regarded shooter Far Cry, multiplatform hits Prince of Persia and Rayman Raving Rabbids, were all core games whose primary distribution channel has been physical retail. At the time the titles were offered with ad-support it would have been possible to find them for sale, albeit discounted from initial release pricing, at most US games retailers.

Unfortunately Ubisoft has not released details as to how the venture fared or why the titles were withdrawn barely days after the offer started. There is a suspicion that difficulty in enforcing the US residents only stipulation due to an IP blocking issue was a factor in the titles withdrawal. Details of the deal with Double Fusion were also not released however Double Fusion CEO, Jonathan Epstein, said CPM rates for such an undertaking of between $10 and $20 were reasonable, which is considered an average rate on the scale of in-game advertising CPM's Screen Digest has researched.

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