Xbox games could soon become more affordable if a new idea from an Xbox executive takes off, but it comes with a potential downside for players. The proposal involves incorporating advertisements into games to reduce their price.
Rising Costs in Gaming
Gamers are increasingly feeling the financial strain as the cost of games and consoles continues to climb. This year has seen the PlayStation 5 Pro reach a staggering £789.99, while the Nintendo Switch 2 is also set for a price increase in September. The upcoming Steam Machine's cost remains uncertain. As Xbox works to revitalize its brand after a challenging period, it is exploring new ways to make its platforms and games more accessible. One such avenue is the inclusion of ads in select games to lower the purchase price.
Executive's Perspective
Speaking on The Game Business podcast, Xbox's chief strategy officer Matthew Ball discussed how ads could help address the affordability issue. "There is a two-sided problem. The costs have gone up way too high on development, and at the same point, everyone feels terrible with prices going up on hardware or software or microtransactions," Ball explained. He highlighted the success of ad-supported tiers in streaming services, noting that "in excess of 100% of net adds in the United States for years and years have been on the ad-supported tier." Ball emphasized that this approach would not eliminate ad-free experiences but would provide an option for those who cannot afford higher prices.
Potential Implementation
How ads might appear in Xbox games remains unclear. Possibilities include advertisements on pause or loading screens, or as in-game assets like billboards featuring real-world products. Ball later clarified on X that ads should be used to offer more affordable alternatives alongside existing ad-free experiences, similar to Netflix and Disney+ ad-tiers. He dismissed the idea of interrupting gameplay with ads, stating, "I personally believe interrupting the gameplay experience would be bad."
Previous Attempts
Advertisements in video games have been attempted before but never fully embraced. Ubisoft once included ads for other Assassin's Creed games in Odyssey, but they were later removed and labeled a 'technical error'. The question remains: would players accept lower prices in exchange for ads?
