Sony wants to sell in-game ads in free-to-play games

Sony plans to start selling in-game ads in free-to-play games by the end of this year, according to a new rumor. The initiative aims to persuade developers to make free-to-play games. Microsoft is said to be working on a similar initiative.

Advertisements in games

The intent is to see the ads in the game, says Business Insider based on sources. These then appear in the game on, for example, billboards along a road or billboards in a sports stadium. Sony would like to set up its own marketplace for offering those advertisements.

The ads are said to be an additional way for developers of free-to-play games to make money. Now that often happens through the sale of ingame items. The intention is that developers can choose to reward players for watching those advertisements, for example with skins for their avatar.

Microsoft would be working on a similar initiative. It is unknown whether game developers are interested in selling advertising space in their games. The ads in PlayStation games could go live at the end of this year.