Massive unveils interactive in-game ads
Company creates new unit that specializes in interactive product placement in games. Toyota is first company to sign on.
Caroline McCarthy Former Staff writer, CNET News
Caroline McCarthy, a CNET News staff writer, is a downtown Manhattanite happily addicted to social-media tools and restaurant blogs. Her pre-CNET resume includes interning at an IT security firm and brewing cappuccinos.
Massive, which creates advertisements that appear within video games, has announced the formation of a new unit that specializes in interactive product placement. Toyota Motor Sales is the first company to sign onto the new ad system. Its 2007 Yaris will be featured in a series of ads appearing first in Funcom's multiplayer game "Anarchy Online." Eventually, the interactive ads will be integrated into other games that implement advertising from Massive, which has been a Microsoft subsidiary since May .
In-game advertising is a growing phenomenon--in June, a study by Parks Associates estimated that it will be a $400 million market by 2009.