Barry
Mr. Do It All
Apr 15, 2006, 8:49 AM
Post #1 of 1
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Ads in Video Games?
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Massive Inc. said that Take-Two Interactive is using its ad-delivery system to put billboards, logos and other corporate promotions in the game "Major League Baseball 2K6."
The deal, which also involved Major League Baseball and the Players' Association that controls athletes' images, is a big boost for Massive, which hopes to tap the growing popularity of a medium whose annual revenue of $25 billion is now bigger than Hollywood's box office haul.
Advertisers are expected to spend up to $100 million this year on such ads, and Davis said that could swell to $3 billion in 2010 as ad money chases the coveted demographic of 18 to 34-year-old men, who are increasingly turning to games as their primary form of entertainment.
Video game makers are attracted to in-game ads because they can help offset soaring development costs. Some gamers, however, chafe at the idea of being exposed to ads in a product that costs as much as $60.
Massive argues that its system, which places different ads in a game depending on the context, can enhance a game by making it more realistic. Davis vows to never disrupt the feel of a game by, say, placing a pizza ad in a fantasy title.
Privately held Massive is backed by $20 million in venture capital. It rolled out its system more than a year ago, and says it has signed up 37 publishers and developers that have already placed ads in nearly 70 games.
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