Activision Blizzard is collaborating with software giant Microsoft.

Microsoft would now be providing in-game advertising solutions to Activision Blizzard.

This service would be provided by Microsoft’s subsidiary Massive.

The deal is applicable to as many as 18 gaming titles provided by Activision Blizzard in addition to their Battle.net online service.

Massive has already worked with Activision in the past. They already provide all ads for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 gaming console.

Some of the games included in this deal are: Guitar Hero: World Tour, James Bond: Quantum of Solace.

Checkout: Massive

The news is now confirmed. US presidential candidate Barack Obama is advertising in videogames.

He has now become the first presidential candidate to run campaign ads in online video games.

These ads are to be featured inside 18 games through Microsoft Xbox Live Service.

Market analyst Van Baker spoke about Obama’s interest in targeting video gamers: “The 18-to-34-year-old male is the mainstream demographic for the hard-core video gamer. They’re hard to get to because they don’t watch much TV and they don’t read a lot, so it’s a good venue to get that segment.”

The ads are going to feature in games including Guitar Hero 3, The Incredible Hulk, NASCAR 09, NBA Live 08 and NFL Tour.

Checkout: Barack Obama

An Xbox Live gamer Dragunov765 has posted images on the web which are screenshots of a game being played.

The exciting thing about the screenshot from the online session of Burnout Paradise is that it features an in-game advertising featuring none other than Barack Obama!

The ad is related to the upcoming presidential elections in the US and highlights the importance of voting.

The screenshot clearly states the message that the message has been paid by Obama for President campaign.

It is still not confirmed whether the screenshot is genuine or photoshopped work. But knowing how tech savvy the Obama camp is, it probably is very much genuine!

Checkout Screenshots: 1 2 3

Search engine giant Google has now launched their AdSense platform for videogames.

The service is now available in beta and is in limited testing now.

The technology would enable casual game makers to integrate advertising into their games.

The ads would be in form of relevant media content which the developer can show as per his requirements.

It can be shown at the starting of the game or between levels or in the end.

Google has arrived somewhat late in this market. Microsoft and Yahoo already have a presence in this segment of the market. Double Fusion and NeoEdge are two other companies which also offer in-game advertising.

Checkout: Google In-Game Advertising

Search engine giant is already one of the largest advertising solutions providers on the web.

The company is now testing their advertising solutions for games.

Reports say that Google’s AdSense for Games is being tested since months now.

The company seems to be developing this technology in-house which would allow advertisers to show their ads in videogames.

An inside source stated: “I don’t know what’s taking them so long. They could move into this market very quickly, given what they have shown off.”

Videogame advertising is growing at a rapid pace worldwide as more and more gamers go online.

Search engine giant Google is already a giant in the online advertising market. The company is now testing ways to deliver ads in computer games.

The company said in a statement: “We think this rich environment is a perfect medium to deliver relevant, targeted advertising that ultimately benefits the user, the video game publisher and the advertiser. We are currently in tests to determine the best approach to in-game advertising.”

Incidentally, Google had acquired an in-game advertising firm AdScape earlier this year. They paid 23 million dollars for this deal.

Google added on their plans to provide in-game advertising: “We are working with publishers to help advertisers reach their target audiences while maintaining a high quality, engaging user experience.”

They are not alone working on this segment of the market. Microsoft and Sony too are involved and are working on projects similar to Google’s.

Microsoft owned Massive Network has announced their new deal with videogame publisher Electronic Arts.

The deal would see five major titles from Electronic Arts getting incorporated into the Massive Network.

These games are Nascar 08, NHL 08, and Skate for Xbox 360 and Madden NFL 08 and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 for PC and Xbox 360.

This would help EA as these games would now include advertisements from the Massive Network.

Shelby Cox, EA’s senior director of in-game advertising added in a statement: “EA is committed to providing both great entertainment experiences for gamers and effective advertising solutions for brands and marketers. Massive has proven its ability to deliver relevant ads in a seamless, non disruptive way that enhances the realism of the game environment. We look forward to building on the strong progress we’ve made to date.”

Cory Van Arsdale, CEO of Massive added: “We’re thrilled to be EA’s trusted partner for dynamic in-game advertising for these products. The addition of EA’s leading titles to our network represents a tremendous opportunity for brands targeting the youth demographic and sends a clear message that in-game advertising has arrived as a compelling medium for marketers.”

Search engine giant Google has confirmed that they have acquired the in-game advertising company Adscape Media.

The deal has been signed for an undisclosed sum. Market was already buzzing with this rumor that the company was considering acquiring Adscape.

The company said in a statement on their decision to acquire Adscape: “[W]e think there is great value in video game advertising. As more and more people spend time playing video games, we think we can create opportunities for advertisers to reach their target audiences while maintaining a high quality, engaging user experience.”

Google can gain massively from this acquisition as the in-game advertising market is poised for explosive growth. Market analysts believe that this market is expected to expand more than five times the current market value to reach $732 million by 2010.

Search engine giant Google has been rumored to be acquiring in-game advertising company Adscape Media.

The deal is worth around USD 23 million and has been revealed by technology site Red Herring.

Google is yet to confirm this report in the media. Videogame market experts say that Google’s entry in videogame advertising market could give a boost to the nascent in-game advertising market.

Adscape has rivals in the market including players like Double Fusion and IGA Worldwide.

Microsoft is also a potential rival as they had last year acquired in-game ad company Massive Inc. for a massive USD 200 million.

Forrester Research Inc. analyst Shar VanBoskirk spoke on this deal: “My take on this probable deal is that it doesn’t make a lot of difference to Google … but it does provide significant credibility to the game marketing space.”

Michael Cai, director of broadband and gaming at Parks Associates added: “Whatever they have in terms of search expertise may not apply to video game advertising … It’s a different dynamic.”

VanBoskirk had more: “Google’s challenge will be to show that games work for advertisers outside of the ‘obvious’ fits like those in the media and entertainment space.”

Software giants Microsoft continues to invest into the advertisement market as they have just acquired Massive Inc. Massive works on technologies to insert advertising into video games.

Microsoft plans to use technology acquired through this deal in their online products and services.

This is just one of their latest efforts to enhance their challenge against the dominating players in the internet advertisement market. Google and Yahoo! are two of the biggest players in this segment and Microsoft wants a part of this pie.

Newer technologies enable the companies to update advertisement placed in videogames shipped to the gamers around the country. This is unlike the traditional ad placements in the games, which remained part of game play forever.

If the game can be played online, it enables the game companies to update the ad placements inside the games and provide a new avenue for them to make more revenues.

Some of the big clients providing advertisements to Massive Inc include Verizon Wireless, Dunkin’ Donuts, Coca-Cola Co., and the Sci Fi Channel.