Would you like some ads in your games? Microsoft is reportedly working on its own platform to integrate commercial ads into Xbox and PC games.
We have not finished hearing about advertisements in video games. A complex subject often decried, the integration of advertising inserts is not to the taste of all players. We remember, for example, Electronic Arts which caused a scandal in 2020 by adding ads in UFC 4. The publisher immediately removed them, but this new form of monetization will eventually arrive sooner or later.
Microsoft wants to integrate ads into Xbox games
Perhaps it will be Microsoft to democratize it. According to information from the very serious Business Insider, the American publisher would like to integrate advertisements into its Xbox games. Put your forks away for now, the tech giant would like to apply this policy only to free-to-play. The idea would then be to sell advertising space within free games so that brands can communicate with players.
Unlike the UFC 4 debacle, the ads in-game considered by Microsoft would not be interstitial. In other words, nothing will appear on the rest of the game, nor disrupt the gameplay in an intrusive way. The parent company of Xbox only counts on advertising inserts as we have already seen in other games. It will be more in-game panels with an ad above for example.
Create a new revenue stream for free-to-play
If the practice is decried, it is far from new. In its time, Counter Strike already displayed the advertisements of certain brands on posters stuck in the cards. Former Xbox exclusive Alan Wake was also adept at product placement. And we’re not even talking about Death Stranding and its character who stuffed himself with Monster energy drinks whenever he had the chance.
The most surprising here is that Microsoft would not provide a commission on the profits generated by these pubs. The goal would simply be to create new revenue streams for free-to-play game developers without having to checkout players. Knowing that the subject is thorny, the company would intend to create a private market place allowing it to select itself the ads that could be broadcast in Xbox and PC games via this future new platform. Contacted by Business Insider, Microsoft declined to confirm this rumor. However, media sources indicate that the manufacturer is planning a rollout by the third quarter of 2022. The publisher is mounting