Double Fusion and NCsoft have announced plans to team up and battle the evil of drying revenue streams by bringing an optional in-game advertising program to City of Heroes. In-game ads for real world products would replace Paragon City’s fictional billboards to help fund continued development of the superhero MMO. Subscribers who would rather see ads for Hero Quencher than Gatorade are welcome to opt out of the system, but City of Heroes’ development manager Brian Clayton hopes most players choose not to, as “all ad revenue dollars go directly to the further development of the game.”

In November, NCsoft transfered development of City of Heroes from Cryptic Studios to a new studio in Northern California. Brian Clayton assures leery fans that City of Heroes is “entering a major phase of reinvestment for the game (and brand)” under the direction of this new studio. They hope to keep City of Heroes relevant in an ever-expanding MMO market.

As far as in-game advertising campaigns go, City of Heroes’ looks to be as unobtrusive as possible. NCsoft is merely trading one set of billboards and street signs for another. Ultimately, the in-game ads will bring more new content to the aging MMO more quickly than before, which should quiet any fans currently up in arms over Double Fusion’s arrival in Paragon City. Just the same, here’s hoping Pepsi billboards don’t start cropping up in the fantasy worlds of Guild Wars and Lineage.

Double Fusion, NCsoft Partner For In-Game City of Heroes Ads [Gamasutra]