Advertising in your video games? Microsoft possibly has a style that might convince you. . . a new Game Pass style where you can “watch 30 seconds of an ad and then get two hours of streaming gameplay. ” This may all sound a bit strange, but we think they can also capture the attention of more global players through a device that you may have in your hand right now.
As TweakTown reported, Xbox’s chief financial officer, Tim Stuart, recommended ad-supported game streaming, anything that doesn’t seem out of place in a briefing about a TV or movie service. At a summit last month, he warned that the company may simply expand its Game Pass subscription model, which is already available on mobile devices, to include ads, but don’t worry, it’s not the same as Netflix. Instead, Tim singled out regions such as Africa, India, and Southeast Asia as targets. Areas with few consoles. . . but a lot of mobile phones.
“In Africa [for example], 50% of the population is aged 23 or older and has a developing disposable income base, with everyone owning cell phones and devices, and not many high-end disposable sources of income. , in general. ” Stuart said. I indicated that this market may be interested in their new model with advertising.
Xbox Game Pass allows users to access, download, and play a library of games through a subscription as long as they are registered. Since 2019, Xbox Cloud has also been part of this service and allows gamers to stream games directly to their console. PCs and mobile devices, which offload as much hardware-intensive processes as possible to external servers. It has proven to be incredibly popular, but it also has its obstacles, namely that connectivity is a requirement.
This would possibly be daunting to an audience accustomed to the “pay once, own forever” style or ad-free subscription style prevalent in the West; however, in other countries around the world, the prospect of playing any of the most recent releases on your phone and only having to watch an ad every few hours can be very tempting. But in countries like Southeast Asia and India, Microsoft might have a lot of work done for it, with some mobile-native festival already in earnest. Attract audiences.
Games like BattleGrounds Mobile India, Garena Free Fire, and the upcoming High-Energy Heroes can offer gamers high-octane action without the need for a heavy connection. So why would they adopt Microsoft’s Xbox and PC solution?Microsoft, however, is also confident that the global rollout of 5G web connectivity can also solve the problem of latency, a major barrier to widespread adoption.
Of course, for many mobile players, the idea of seeing classified ads isn’t unusual. I mean, they all jumped into games like Vampire Survivors to get that extra life out of watching a short commercial. But the real question is whether Microsoft’s offering will be enough to entice mobile gamers to try it out. One of the problems that players have is locating in Game Pass those titles with good enough touch controls, for example. Solving the many logistical disruptions involved will require significant investment in the product.
In those highlighted areas, multiplayer is a main draw. It may be that Microsoft will appeal to skeptical gamers with a new series of co-op or player-versus-player titles. But in other countries, this means that they will want to be localized, translated, and subject to other modifications to suit players’ desires and tastes. Not only that, but they would also want to temporarily capture to get the servers up and running, online, and full; First impressions are everything, especially in the ever-changing mobile phone market.
It’s a more complicated proposition than it sounds, but in fact there’s an enthusiastic audience in those places. Southeast Asia is already a popular destination for League of Legends players, and African players are eager to enjoy new and exciting games.
What do you think? Would you watch an ad to play a game on your phone if it was something you’d get on a console? Do you know someone who would? Let us know!