A recent report revealed that Sony plans to introduce in-game ads in free PlayStation games, and the new monetization approach is to help developers generate more revenue and encourage them to continue creating free-to-play games.
Business Insider reported that sources have told them that Sony has already begun testing with adtech partners to help game developers implement in-game ads through a developer program.
Implementing in-game ads will certainly help developers generate more revenue than the currently limited monetization model on PlayStation which is limited to ads in the list where publishers promote their games on the PlayStation Store.
In addition, Sony is also planting ads in video streams via OTT apps, and sources revealed that Sony has not yet decided whether or not to cut into the total revenue of developers and publishers.
In-game ads are expected to reach PlayStation by the end of 2022, and according to sources, the ads will be placed directly inside PS games and will be sold via a private market.
According to the report, the ads will be placed in such a way that they appear to be part of the game itself, such as digital billboards in sports stadiums, etc. Apart from that, the company is planning various forms of such as watching ad videos that will give some rewards to players such as in-game skins, and so on.
For those unaware, reports have also surfaced about Microsoft working on a similar monetization format. The idea of ads is somewhat similar.