In-game ads incoming! Microsoft yesterday announced that it will indeed be purchasing major in-game advertising firm Massive Inc. The announcement was made at the MSN Strategic Action Summit. As well as ads existing within game worlds, Microsoft's major online gaming services, including Xbox Live and MSN Games, will be integrated with Massive's advertising network. In-game advertising has been a major topic of discussion in the marketing world recently, as game-playing audiences have moved away from traditional advertising venues such as television and are spending more time with video games.

Massive, a closely held, 80-employee startup based in New York, says more than 100 titles have signed on to use its in-game advertising network since it launched in October 2004. Massive's advertising clients include Verizon Wireless, Dunkin' Donuts, Coca-Cola Co., and the Sci Fi Channel.

actually I play the game planetside that massive puts ads into. The regular billboard type ads, I really dont care about. But then they started putting in ads that have audio..very annoying, and thats when people started to block them. All you need to do for any of these things is add the server that the ads are hosted on, to your hosts file. Wont help for xbox though...

I can barely put into words how much this kind of thing truely pisses me off.

ADS DO NOT BELONG IN GAMES!!!!!!!!!

I hope they realize they are playing with fire.

If they put ADs in Xbox live, won't people start asking why they have to pay? Isn't that the premise of satalite radio? You pay to NOT have ADs?

And to those people who don't care about this and think it'll allow them to charge less for games and other obvious bullshit. This is to put more money in thier pocket, period. There will be no benefit to gamers what so ever.