Facebook tests showing ads in VR games on Oculus Quest platform
Facebook is starting a test in which it will show advertisements in some VR games. According to the company, it is an experiment and it is a small test, which starts with Resolution Games’ game Blaston.
The experiment starts with Blaston and in the coming weeks a few other developers and their games will join in, although Facebook does not say which games are involved. According to Facebook, this initiative fits in with the larger goal of bringing more people to VR.
To that end, it is exploring new ways to generate revenue, as Facebook says this will lead to a “self-sustaining platform” that can support a variety of business models, making new types of content and audiences available. “It also helps us continue to create innovative AR and VR hardware that is more accessible to people,” Facebook said.
Users do not have to deal with static advertisements that cannot be changed. Management options are built into the VR apps that allow you to remove specific advertisements. Also, all ads from a specific advertiser can be removed, in addition to options such as viewing ad details, requesting more information and reporting an ad.
Facebook emphasizes that the introduction of the ads does not change its privacy or advertising policy. During the test, Facebook will receive new information, such as whether users engaged with an ad, such as whether they clicked on it or chose to hide the ad. According to Facebook, this is the only change to how it handles data collection on its Oculus platform.
For now, the test is limited to a few apps. Based on the progress of the test and feedback from developers and users, Facebook says it will provide more details about when ads will become more widely available on the Oculus Platform and in the Oculus mobile app. A similar test started a month ago with the introduction of advertisements in this mobile app.
More than a week ago, Mark Zuckerberg indicated that advertisements are important for VR. According to him, this is the best method to keep virtual reality and VR apps accessible. He also said that ads will likely appear in Oculus apps in the future. Zuckerberg said the ads are needed, among other things, to support the distribution model.