Abstract:
Microsoft recently disclosed a patent application related to in-game advertising. Microsoft said this patent can identify low-interference periods in the game, then pause player operations and play advertising content. After watching ads, players can get ad-free game credit corresponding to a certain time or a certain game progress.
It should be noted that this is only a technology patent applied for by Microsoft, and it does not mean that Microsoft has decided to deploy this advertising playback method to Xbox or specific games. Some patents may not be used until they expire, while others may be actually used.
The system will choose the right time to automatically insert ads:
According to Microsoft's description in the patent, the system can work with the game engine and identify opportunities such as level loading, the end of a cutscene, defeating a game boss, completing a task, or entering a menu. After detecting a suitable trigger event, the game will temporarily freeze and automatically play advertising videos or other audio content, and then resume game interaction after the advertising is completed.
Different from traditional fixed-time pop-ups, this advertising solution attempts to determine when to insert ads based on the game status to avoid interrupting players during game battles, racing, or other scenes that require continuous operation. The patent document also mentions that the system can use machine learning and other methods to analyze the game process and determine relatively suitable advertising display nodes.
You can get game rewards after watching the ads:
This advertising system also has a reward mechanism, that is, when players watch the advertisement, they can get advertising points or advertising-free quota. For example, after watching an advertisement, the player can automatically get a period of ad-free game time, or the reward may be exchanged for other tasks, game props or game progress. After the quota is exhausted, the system will wait for an opportunity to insert advertisements again.
This kind of advertisement is actually a common incentive-based advertisement, but the mechanism envisioned by Microsoft emphasizes linkage with the game engine and control of the timing of advertisement display. Microsoft has previously been revealed to be testing a free tier of Xbox cloud games with ads. The development of the Xbox division has been very poor in recent years, and Microsoft may be looking for other solutions to increase revenue.
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