Product placement in games is nothing new – Solid Snake has been conspicuously showing off his iPod since 2008, after all. Warner Brothers has decided to take this another step, though, by inserting advertisements for their "give a transphobe $60" simulator Hogwarts Legacy into their only slightly less controversial Mortal Kombat 11. The ad is plastered over the main menu and even includes a helpful hyperlink to take you right to the store page.
As if microtransactions weren't enough – Mortal Kombat 11 was specifically lambasted for that at launch – it seems publishers are now working mobile game-style ads into full-fledged full-price releases. Personally, I can't wait to have to watch 30-second ads in between matches in Mortal Kombat 12.