Major League Baseball 2K6 Gets More Realistic with In-Game Ads

Games played in the virtual ballpark will get a bit more realistic when in-game advertising hits Major League Baseball 2K6. Massive Inc. and Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. will make use of its ad-delivery system to put product logos and billboards in the game.

Massive CEO Mitch Davis has acknowledged videogames as a major new advertising medium and striking a deal with Take Two and  Major League Baseball and the Players’ Association will give Massive a big boost in tapping the growing popularity of the $25 billion in-game advertising.

In-game ads are generally unintrusive and do not disrupt the feel of the game. Davis said, Advertising in the (baseball) game is additive. It makes the game better, it makes it more realistic because when you go to a stadium to watch a game, you see advertising around the stadium. Advertisers expect to spend $100 million this year on such ads and it could swell to $3 billion in 2010, in an effort to chase the 18 to 34-year-old men demographic. With that huge amount of money earmarked for in-game ads, let’s see how long they can remain unintrusive.

The ads in the baseball game will only be seen on the version for Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360 console (for now), which can be hooked up to the Xbox Live network.
Games played in the virtual ballpark will get a bit more realistic when in-game advertising hits Major League Baseball 2K6. Massive Inc. and Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. will make use of its ad-delivery system to put product logos and billboards in the game.

Massive CEO Mitch Davis has acknowledged videogames as a major new advertising medium and striking a deal with Take Two and  Major League Baseball and the Players’ Association will give Massive a big boost in tapping the growing popularity of the $25 billion in-game advertising.

In-game ads are generally unintrusive and do not disrupt the feel of the game. Davis said, Advertising in the (baseball) game is additive. It makes the game better, it makes it more realistic because when you go to a stadium to watch a game, you see advertising around the stadium. Advertisers expect to spend $100 million this year on such ads and it could swell to $3 billion in 2010, in an effort to chase the 18 to 34-year-old men demographic. With that huge amount of money earmarked for in-game ads, let’s see how long they can remain unintrusive.

The ads in the baseball game will only be seen on the version for Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360 console (for now), which can be hooked up to the Xbox Live network.