PlayerWON is a new in-game advertising platform that enables businesses to incorporate video ads into PC and console games, similar to ads in mobile games and on TV.
The bigger comparison is with mobile devices as the ads are geared towards free-to-play games and reward players who view them with in-game items and currency.
As reported in Axios, PlayerWON, owned by Simulmedia, lets users choose whether to watch a 15- or 30-second video ad to unlock exclusive gaming benefits.
One such method is already popular in free mobile games, where players have an incentive to watch ads instead of spending real money to get items like in-game currency or skins.
EA and Hi-Rez Studios are among the first studios to sign up for the technology, with the free-to-play game Smite already being used to pilot the technology.
Beat. Photo credit: Hi-Rez Studios
The pilot campaign showed that gamers were “much more likely” to play a game and spend money in-game if they could take advantage of viewing in-game ads.
Simulmedia’s Dave Madden said 90% of gamers never buy in-game items, but his research showed they were willing to watch up to 10 ads per day to unlock free benefits, making them easier to reach than traditional video marketing .
The company plans to launch in-game ads in about a dozen more games by the end of the year.
These in-game ads are expected to outperform Facebook’s attempts to implement in-headset ads in Oculus VR games.
Last month, VR game developer Blaston decided to abandon the test after facing backlash from gamers.
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