Microsoft is on the hunt for ways to further monetize the Xbox platform, and this time it may inject ads into your play sessions. The company is no stranger to this practice, as it’s already introduced an ad-supported cloud gaming tier for Xbox Insiders. But this method almost crosses that hallowed line gamers have, and it will no doubt face a fair amount of criticism.
Want a Break From the Ads?
This patent was first spotted by Respawn First, and it pertains to a filing that Microsoft made earlier this month, called “Contextually Aware Management of Interactive Software Application Access.” The system involves players receiving “ad-credits” based on various factors. Essentially, this means the game will know the natural breaks during gameplay and only provide players with ads during those times.
Initially, the player will be given a certain amount of “ad-free” gameplay time, which could be limited to the first level of a game or a trial period. Once the player reaches that limit, they will be hit with an advertisement that could be a full video or a static image. It was said that ads will only be limited to situations like after a boss fight, completing a quest, a loading screen, or when a cutscene ends, in order to not disturb the flow of the game. After the player watches the ad, they will earn more credits, which extends that ad-free timeframe,
A Scary Proposition
Upon hearing this news, it can be scary to think Xbox will inject ads into our games. Taking that a step further, it was recently suggested that an ad tier could be coming to Xbox Game Pass, which further ads fuel to this already out-of-control fire. But to calm some jagged nerves, normally companies file patents and never fully act on them. For Xbox’s sake, it would be wise to read the room and really consider the reception to this news.
