Sony is reportedly considering introducing advertisements to free to play games on PlayStation consoles. This way, ads would appear in games and are meant to help game developers generate extra revenue. This encourages them to continue building free to play games. This report has come days after a report claimed Microsoft is exploring monetizing free to play games with advertisements.

Free to play games rose to popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

PlayStation is said to be testing a software program that would allow developers to create in-game ads that would be sold via a ‘private marketplace’, ahead of their expected launch by the end of the year. The advertisements would appear in inconspicuous places like billboards within the game. Players could get rewarded for watching ads with skins or game tokens among others while helping developers generate more revenue from their games.

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According to the report, it is not yet confirmed if Sony would take a portion of ad revenue. However, they are considering selling consumer data on PlayStation to developers and publishers.

The company is said to be in a strict vetting process for selecting ad partners. Companies that collect personal information such as email addresses and names will be ruled out.

There are some concerns about how companies will be able to track gamers and purchasing habits after seeing the advertisement in-game. Some advertisers may want to avoid promoting their products with violent content, as it can be a concern

Will adding in-game ads really work?

There are games like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla that would look ridiculous with a billboard. The developers have to be crafty to pull off this one.