Reports revealed that the US company Microsoft is developing a program to help marketers place ads in free Xbox games. Microsoft will allow companies to buy from ad inventory to secure space on virtual billboards, but it is not clear whether this will extend to Character forms or video lists, according to the American “Insider” website.
It is likely that Microsoft will launch the program on free games by the third quarter of this year, ie in the summer season.
For its part, Microsoft declined to confirm or deny its plans to add ads to its free games, with a spokesperson saying only that it was seeking to “improve the experience” for developers and gamers but had “nothing else to share with the press.”
The program could worry gamers worried about advertisements for real-world products finding their way into the video game world, but at the same time it could help developers make money on free games, without relying too heavily on paid content.