A few days ago, reports emerged online of Microsoft wanting to introduce in-game advertisements to free-to-play titles on Xbox. A new report by Business Insider claims that Sony may just be planning on doing the same.
Business Insider reports that Sony is working on an ad program similar to that of the Xbox. People close to the integration report that the company is already in the testing phase and has reached out to ad tech partners to help game developers create in-game ads through a software developer program.
The move is a bid to encourage developers to keep building free-to-play games that have increased in popularity due to the pandemic, by giving them a chance to monetize their products.
Sony plans on launching in-game adverts by the end of this year, and similar to Xbox, these will appear on billboards within the game. Other formats may include ads that give users rewards for watching ads and promotions for in-game items such as avatar skins etc.
With in-game ads, the issue of security remains, which Business Insider reports had already been in discussion 18 months ago after the launch of the PlayStation 5. The source also claims that Sony is taking special care in choosing the ad-tech companies, ruling out any that may require the collection of user information such as names or emails.
Unlike Xbox, Sony may plan on profiting from the revenue generated via the in-game ads displayed in the free-to-play games. Other reports claim that Sony may also charge developers and publishers for data on consumer activity on PlayStation.
