Microsoft would have ads on some free Xbox games

Soon, Xbox users could start seeing ads on some console games. According to Business Insider, Microsoft is developing a new advertising program that applies to its catalog of free-to-play games. It may not be to the player's liking, but obviously it will be done in a way that is not intrusive in the game, or so is expected.

Aware that such determination may not be welcomed by the public, the people of Redmond will carefully calculate their strategy. Obviously, the company will not license any brand to display ads on its Xbox games, but will work with a very limited (and select) number through a private market.

It is not yet known what Microsoft's plans are for this new adware (adware). What the above-mentioned report explains is that alternatives are being evaluated to do so without interfering with the gameplay; then, for example, an ad could be displayed on a billboard during a FIFA 22 match or a car race game, like that in the interface of an avatar.

Anyway, the company still needs to identify some issues before the launch. But what's really interesting is that Microsoft won't explore advertising in free Xbox games as a new way to monetize its own lucrative purposes; instead, it would suggest no cuts and allow title developers and brands to share the profits.

Free Xbox games could start presenting ads

If the plan goes well, Microsoft intends to launch it from the third quarter of 2022. Therefore, those led by Satya Nadella will seek to attract more free game developers to join their platform. It remains to be seen whether ad serving is attractive enough to be added to microtransactions.

The strategy that the people of Redmond would suggest for free Xbox games does not seem unreasonable. Everything will depend on the quality of the implementation and the rigor of the company in choosing the brands with which it will work.

If the plan is' small 'and not intrusive, players won't be bothered. But if the presence of ad content starts to escalate to the point where users will not be able to enjoy a video game without intensely annoying the ad, it will definitely become a problem.

After all, in general, the presence of advertising in video games is not something new. It is true that in some titles it is more subtle than in others, but it is a commercial trend that large publishers have taken advantage of.

And also the fact that the growing popularity of free games has opened the door to any advertising campaign that can quickly reach millions of people.

For now, Microsoft has avoided commenting on its apparent plans to include ads in free Xbox games. “We're always looking to improve the player and developer experience, but we don't have anything else to share about this,” they said in a press release.

If they go ahead with this plan, they are expected to be in a less chaotic way than they did with Windows 11. And that is, those from Redmond recently made headlines with their inclusion of ads in the File Explorer interface of their latest operating system; however, the company later deleted them due to the heavy negative reaction of users and assured that it was just an experiment.

KEEP READING