Microsoft's patent for un-intrusive personalised ads in games

Microsoft seems to be working on a system to display personalised un-intrusive content in cloud-based streaming games to users.

[SullysCigar]

How exactly is a personalised advert going to be un-intrusive? Advertisements are, by their very purpose, designed to pull your attention. Otherwise what's the point?

Imagine playing a racing game and right after a long straight a billboard changes to Victoria's Secret Valentine's suggestions.

Race, and car, over.

[sparky77]

I mean it quite obvious. Un-intrusive means it doesn't interrupt your gameplay like a screen blocking popup. It's obviously ads like Death Stranding monster drinks or like you said billboards.

Ads are already in games so I don't see this going away.

[GotGame818]

N64 had ads on billboards!

[SullysCigar]

'Un-intrusive' is a matter of opinion, though. What I find un-intrusive, you might well find intrusive.

The point I was making originally, was that an un-intrusive ad would fail at it's purpose. This is probably why they've opted for such a subjective term.

In all liklihood, they will be intrusive, because they're designed to generate sales. Otherwise that advertising space is worthless to them and may just as well not exist.

[VenomUK]

Good Guy Phil. If it was SackJimRyan he would make the ads intrusive. But Good Guy Phil cares about the consumer so will make them un-intrusive. Another win for Xbox.

[GotGame818]

Guess you don't live in a big city. Billboards constantly change, and morph. Las Vegas? Forget about it! There is so much constantly going on! 3D Billboards! Won't distract me one bit!

[SullysCigar]

They don't put those billboards where you're doing 200mph in your supercar, though. They put them at the traffic lights you're sat at for 10mins in your 2003 Corrolla!

[Orchard]

"Imagine playing a racing game and right after a long straight a billboard changes to Victoria's Secret Valentine's suggestions."

Didn't you just give the perfect example of an un-intrusive advert?

The most effective adverts are the subtle ones we see in the background and subconciously pay attention to (billboards, soda placements in TV shows etc.) and aren't shoved in our face / mandatory to stare at (e.g. TV adverts).

[S2Killinit]

Yaay subliminal messaging

Go Microsoft go!

[Orchard]

@S2Killinit And Sony. Go Microsoft and Sony!

https://www.businessinsider...

Advertising is everywhere in our lives.

[Eonjay]

I hate this and I will still hate this if Sony tries it. Just no. We have to have limits.

[ChubbyBlade]

Like everyone already said. It’s things that don’t intrude on gameplay.

Rainbow 6 Vegas has ads on posters and billboards way back in 2006

[ChubbyBlade]

I really don’t understand the disagrees that’s literally what it is.

People on this site hate Microsoft so much they’ll just deny reality to get a dunk.

Grow up

[KillBill]

I guess you are not familiar with subliminal advertising and simple placement ads?

[KillBill]

Note this is not just Microsoft... both Sony and Microsoft are looking at same path. Wow... go figure. https://www.theverge.com/20...

Microsoft is looking to ad it as a service for developers to earn money while not having to go directly with only microtransactions on such free games. Sony is still developing their plan and is pondering the idea of taking some of the profit on their end.

[Binarycode]

Yeah but for that billboard I don't mind losing the race:)

[cloganart]

Sign me up for Victoria's Secret ads in games.

[Jacksparrow]

That is true.
But given the algorithm suggests you ads according to your content consumption behaviour, you would have to be both a racing game enthusiast and planning of buying some lingerie.

[VariantAEC]

Maybe this guy has a wife... or is a cross-dresser. Whatever the reason if MS is serving you those ads in games they are also SELLING YOUR DATA!

[Jacksparrow]

Nonetheless, it does not stop you from playing the game and ask you to watch a video to continue

[XiNatsuDragnel]

Ads are intrusive and designed to get your attention so I don't understand what you guys mean tbh.

[isarai]

No such thing as an "un-intrusive ad" they by nature designed to take your attention.

[DOMination-]

Actually not true at all. Marketing 101 is very clear - create a campaign that's large in scale but unobtrusive to the end-user. Over time, the user gains trust in the brand by simply seeing their name sub-consciously in the background. You're more likely to buy a brand you've heard of than one you haven't.

Sure, the biggest brands like Coca-Cola and Apple can be a bit more direct but 95% of advertising is more subtle.

[VariantAEC]

You are clearly very very dumb.
If you make an ad that no one remembers and cannot link to any product... how do you sell the product you are advertising?
Just one more car there in that train of logic went missing.

[DOMination-]

Not dumb at all Bigby

Let's say I want to buy a dental water flosser. I don't know anything about them. But if I search for them on Amazon which one am I most likely to buy? The one I vaguely remember seeing on an ad or the one I've never seen. The people who create this ad weren't looking to convert sales there. They are looking to provide a subtle subconscious connection

That's how most marketing works.

[jznrpg]

It’s just like “we want more games for everyone but end up buying publishers and making them exclusive to xbox” now it’s un-intrusive ads . No such thing as unintrusive ads . People defending this is extra sad

[SullysCigar]

It's only a few of them. Ironically, the ones defending subliminal messaging are the ones that have already fallen for it for the past decade+.

[BrainSyphoned]

Get back to me when they have a product to sell other people's products in.

[VariantAEC]

It's called the "Microsoft Store" they have physical and digital storefronts selling computers, components and of course software.

[Orchard]

I don't need/want ads in my game, but people also over-index on patents. 99% of patents these big companies file don't ever become anything.

[blackblades]

Hmmm like those video streaming services with ads. F2w services obviously and apparently the paid services includes some ads apparently. These days i won't be surprise ms does that to the games well maybe directly but who knows.

[HyperMoused]

So sick of forced adds, in everything its in everythng every web page, your mobile, TV, Consoles, hell even antivirus after you have bought it offers you more antivirus crap, soon you will be able to rent the back of your eye lids for advertising space. so you cant even escap eit when you clos eyour eyes.....eaaattttt floofy snacks

[paulust2002]

Never been the same since Sam Fisher ate Airwaves chewing gum in Splinter cell... And that's before the product placement was legal. Grim

[Orchard]

Lol, I'd forgotten about that.

[VariantAEC]

Pretty sure the devs got permission (if that is even a real brand of chewing gum).

[Ryzza5]

Of course another way to look at this is if an ad is personalised then it is as a result of intrusion of privacy... so it's intrusive.

[TicklefistCP]

No thanks.

[gold_drake]

"un-intrusive ads"
funny how stupid that actually is

[S2Killinit]

Xbox fans will say its great

Yaay so good for gaming

[Orchard]

https://www.businessinsider...

Coming to PS too though... it's almost like big corporations want to sell ad space and make more revenue...

[S2Killinit]

I said xbox fans will say its great. You just proved my point.

[Orchard]

Oh? Do show me where I said it’s great?

[S2Killinit]

Oh by trying to justify it.

[Orchard]

Meanwhile, back in the real world, what I actually said was:

“I don't need/want ads in my game”

Reading comprehension is difficult 🙄

[Stanjara]

Uffff

[PhillyDillyDee]

Smoke…

[LoveSpuds]

If its a free to play game, I can kinda overlook this kind of thing, perhaps where a publisher is trying to monetise their product.

The thing I hate with MS is that they have duped their fans into giving them a pass on how MS exploit the consumer, in my opinion at least. They have successfully managed to get gamers to perceive games as 'free' on Gamepass despite the gamer paying a subscription. MS have done this so successfully that their customers allow MS to charge a subscription but also litter their games with micro transactions and paid DLC as if MS are running a free to play model, which they most certainly are not.

It's like Netflix charging a subscription and then going on to charge a fee for the last 3 episodes of their shows, we wouldn't accept that, but MS fans accept MS doing just this.

Now, despite their customers accepting that MS can charge a subscription yet release titles that usually require DLC and MTs, AND NOW, their games will also bombard you with advertising too.

[Father__Merrin]

First it will be streaming games then into normal games. It's going downhill. I've just started playing burnout revenge and thought this is never coming back good old fashioned fun

[frostypants]

There's going to be so much prior art for this...

[Firebird360]

This is the one thing I despise about xbox.
Theres ridiculous adds on the homescreen of a console I own and I can't turn them off.
It wouldn't be so bad if it was always game related.
But I've seen everything from McDonald's to dorritos to random movies.
Xbox dashboard is so overly cluttered its ridiculous

[VariantAEC]

That was one of the strangest things when I first got a 360 after the PSN hack. I couldn't understand why my console home screen was trying to sell me Swiffer products and fast food... I was thinking "What the •••• was MS thinking?" And also "This can't possibly be what's on everyone's Xbox homescreen." I was wrong about the second thoght but I still don't know what MS was thinking when they created ad space for 360. They removed it in modern FW though (at least as it seems as Xbox 360 is an irrelevant product that MS has since discontinued).