by Based on a recent report, Microsoft Corporation is currently planning to add ads to free games in the coming months.
Free games can be a great way to experience something new without having to spend money, unless players want to spend money on additional skins, weapons, or characters. Free-to-play game developers need players to buy in-game items to fund further development, but they may soon have a new source of revenue in the form of in-game advertising.
game powerhouse Microsoft is potentially adding ads to its free games, according to a report by Business Intern. The report says Microsoft is looking to offer ad revenue to developers who create free games for its gaming platforms.
According to sources familiar with the details of the proposed plans, advertisements that appear in-game would not disrupt gameplay and could appear on structures such as in-game billboards, billboards, and product placement. Several examples of this include the Energizer battery boards in the 2011 release of Alan Wake and the more obvious additions of the 2014 Mercedes-Benz GLA, 1957 SL 300 Roadster and 1934 W25 Silver Arrow in Mario Kart 8 in 2014.
Sources also informed Business Intern that Microsoft does not intend to take a cut of advertising revenue and will instead allow game developers and advertising companies to split the profits among themselves. The proposed move would open up a whole new revenue stream for developers and particularly benefit smaller studios that don’t generate the levels of revenue that big games love. fortnite or Apex Legends produce.
The move could be considered shrewd by Microsoft, which recently patented another new idea for local and remote split-screen multiplayer games as they seek to attract more free-to-play and multiplayer game developers to their platforms. Continued revenue from advertisers may entice more developers to create titles for Xbox, as financial costs would be reduced and production would seem less risky.
Microsoft reportedly has concerns that in-game ads could irritate players by being too intrusive and plans to create a “private market” to only allow certain brands into the proposed program. A concern for gamers is that Microsoft might use targeted ads, but according to Business InternMicrosoft will not use the data it collects from its Bing search engine and its other services to create targeted advertisements on Xbox.
As of this writing, it’s unclear if Microsoft has presented the plans to any advertisers yet, but sources say ads could start appearing on Microsoft platforms as early as the third quarter of this year.
Source: Business Insider
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