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Microsoft May Purchase Massive Ad Network 44

Posted by Zonk from the bill-gates-in-our-games dept.
calzones writes to mention a Gamasutra article, which reports on a WSJ claim that Microsoft will be buying Massive, Inc. at some point in the near future. From the article: "The article indicates that Microsoft is expecting to acquire the entirety of the New York City based company, which currently employees around eighty staff. Microsoft is reported to be keen to control how adverts are placed within a game and to try new business models which could allow the ads to subsidize lower prices or particularly expensive titles, such as massively multiplayer online games. No specific mention was made of the Xbox 360, which already displays advertising-like banners on its dashboard operating system, but has not yet permitted in-game ad companies to stream advertisements into games through Xbox Live. However, it is implied that Microsoft would not be using Massive's technology purely for Windows based games."
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Microsoft May Purchase Massive Ad Network More

Microsoft May Purchase Massive Ad Network

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  • One problem... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by __aaclcg7560 ( 824291 ) on Thursday April 27, 2006 @11:51AM (#15212821)
    Don't we have enough spam as it is? I certainly don't need any "authorized" spam from Microsoft.

  • Two points here (Score:2, Insightful)

    by CogDissident ( 951207 )
    One: Microsoft has purchased other ad companies in the past (Ad Gator, I believe) and then specifically allowed that ad program their their new ad-filtering program.

    Two: Why? Just why? Do consumers need yet another reason to not purchase crap-tacular M$ games? (with the notable exceptions of games that they bought from other companies)

    Ads in games: Bad Idea

    Ads in utility software: Despised and hated by everyone, even more so than gaming ads.

  • Does anyone think it's funny that Microsoft will be buying Massive, Inc? I sense a name change in Microsoft's future.
  • so are we talking about some of the following scenarios in video games?

    - In between innings of a baseball game, I get thrown ads
    - After I pass a level in a 1st person shooter, I get thrown ads
    - When I complete a puzzle in an rpg, I get thrown ads
    • More like seeing in-game billboards with ads on them.
    • I doubt that even microsoft would dare that but it certainly does explain microsoft's weakening of the default settings of their firewall, that obviously want your software to be more chatty with them, so they can more effectively monitor add effectiveness for personally targeted add campaigns.

      They seem to have failed in the "were going kill google" search engine wars, so they a trying a new direction, in the never ending, unceasingly annoying, marketing 24/7 gambit, just wait, some git will patent free p

  • "Are you sure you want to click there? and while you are clicking, here is a word from our sponsor"

    like how you pay to be on the subway, pay to go to a movie etc and then get bombarded the entire time with ads and ad placements..

    everywhere ads..
    • I think you're a bit uninformed. Yes, you paid to be on the subway or in the movie theatre, but your fare did not pay for your entire experience. The reason we're shown ads in so many places is because so many of these places cost much more to operate than people are willing to pay for them. Advertisers pay to have their ads put in these places, thereby offsetting some of the cost of admission.

      Think back (or forward, knowing the typical /. crowd) to your high school yearbook. You paid $50 for it, and th
      • well, the subway has record profits.. in NYC, several billion in surplus.

        so.. most of the ads there get defaced fast though..

        movie theatres are losing money because movies for the most part have really sucked for the last couple years..

        the *main* reason people pay for "premium" channels like HBO and Cinemax etc (thus your paying more stmt) is because they don't have to deal with ads.

        All the good stuff is on these channels now..

        Network tv is all reality shows now..
        • well, the subway has record profits.. in NYC, several billion in surplus.

          That is a sad thing. It's sad because I haven't been on a subway system in the US yet that is anywhere near an equal to those of Germany. I think if any public transit system in this country has any surplus money, they owe it to their patrons to improve their service. It's just embarassing sometimes. So, I'll give you this one.

          the *main* reason people pay for "premium" channels like HBO and Cinemax etc (thus your paying more stmt)
          • well..
            if ads didn't interfere with your use of your operating system would you still want them there?

            so, you open up your vista control panel and there is a flashing ad for a singles site there.. technically that would have no impact on your use of the product?

            I suppose it is the difference with using something like gaim (linux user here) or icq in windows.. icq has a popup advertising window, and ads at the bottom and all over when you are trying to talk with people.. Sure they are not "in the way" but I
            • well..
              if ads didn't interfere with your use of your operating system would you still want them there?

              so, you open up your vista control panel and there is a flashing ad for a singles site there.. technically that would have no impact on your use of the product?

              Two things:

              First, it's not a matter of want. Of course, in general, I don't want to see ads, and I want them not to take up extra space on my TV, in my newspaper, etc. It is a matter of economics - in general, I would rather spend the money I do and
  • But whilst your here, would you be interested in 300 kilograms of fish?

    No, well could I interest you in some top notch perfume, direct from the makers?

    Your wife would like it, I would be lying if I said I was making money from this.

    But wait, theres more....
  • This is a very smart move by MS. They've jumped on this concept before Google could get its mitts on a similar venture. There's an entire industry to be founded on in-game advertising.

    Undoubtedly we'll be seeing ads in full priced games, but I sincerely hope MS uses this leverage to make full versions of free games (like Geometry Wars) profitable.
  • The free MMORPG has in game ad's... they aren't all that obtrusive, and rollercoaster tycoon 3 has billboards for excel gum, but in that game they bring you ad-revenue, so its sort of interesting.
  • Note to Microsoft: Keep your fucking ads out of my goddamned games.
  • Makes sense, a little more than a year ago, I heard from a DoubleClick employee the rumor and fear about being bought by Microsoft.

    Anyone else heard this rumor too?

    ___
    Allways remember, women will always forgive what you did to them, they sure won't forgive what you didn't do to them.
    Chäïnÿ
  • Remember Microsoft Bypasses HOSTS File [slashdot.org]? Sounds like unblockable ads, at least via the hosts file.... adblock should still work fine.
  • First, the next gen of MS software will bypass the hosts-file for "certain sites". Of course to make you safe from being kept from updates by malware.

    Next, MS nags when you didn't register.

    Now they buy an adware spammer.

    Is it me or could it be that there's a connection somewhere?

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