Google’s (GOOG) long-rumored, game-focused advertising initiative is going to come to life later this month, according to sources familiar with the Mountain View, Calif-based company’s plans. Google, which bought in-gaming advertising company, AdScape, earlier this year for about $23 million, will unveil its game-focused strategy in two steps, these sources tell me.
First, Google will launch a beta test with Redwood City, Calif.-based casual gaming startup Bunchball Games. As part of this test, Google is going to embed 15-second, “video-type” pre-roll and mid-roll ads in some of Bunchball’s casual games. Bunchball in recent months has started offering casual games as Facebook apps. Google is likely to announce this sometime next week, I’m told. Both Bunchball and Google declined to comment.
The second step in Google’s game-focused advertising strategy will take place in December, when the company will, I’m told, will offer an ad-supported version of the PC game Psychonauts. This will be a downloadable game and will have 30-second pre- and mid-roll video ads, according to my sources.
Our esteemed gaming duo, Jane Pinkcard and Wagner James Au, have been tracking Google and its game-related advertising plans for a while now.
As Wagner notes, Psychonauts is not a casual game but an award-winning, story-heavy, cult hit. This “gamer’s game” from veteran adventure game designer Tim Schaefer and co-written by Erik “Old Man Murray” Wolpaw is now “out of print;” and can only be downloaded via Valve’s Steam network it can be accessed via such download sites as GameTap and Valve’s Steam network. As he put it: “Google launching with Psychonauts as a trial platform is like a new cable network launching with a Coen Brothers movie.”
Google’s pending launch comes at a time when the interest in casual gaming and in-game advertising is on an upswing. Google’s initiatives should give many start-ups building game-related advertising networks a pause.
18 comments so far
6:17 AM PT
Google’s Game-Focused Advertising Initiative To Launch This Month
, Google will launch a beta test with Redwood City, Calif.-based casual gaming startup Bunchball Games. As part of this test, Google is going to embed 15-second, “video-type” pre-roll and mid-roll ads in some of Bunchball’s casual games.
8:04 AM PT
I’ve been following closely on Google’s development, I guess that this is google’s strategy in dominating the online advertising arena huh?
8:11 AM PT
[...] hun nieuwe blik op game advertising en het platform wat ze hiervoor aan het ontwikkelen zijn. Het gerucht gaat nu dat de eerste stap Bunchball Games is. Bunchball is beheerder van platform games die [...]
12:17 PM PT
Google will ultimately dominate not only the casual game market but be a major player in the MMPG (Online) market, hosting serious gamers over their Private (Internet replacement) fiber linked Data Hosting Centers (USA today-Worldwide tomorrow). The Games will be either free or Game play will be free with hosted ads covering this cost. This will replace the Microsoft (Walled Garden) Game Centers relying on best effort Internet Access for game play.
Jim (aka WOW Bruto)
2:07 PM PT
[...] [via GigaOM] [...]
4:42 PM PT
[...] Google’s long-rumored, game-focused advertising initiative is expected to launch later this month. The Internet giant, which bought in-gaming advertising company AdScape earlier this year, is believed to be planning to unveil its game-focused strategy in two steps. (http://gigaom.com/2007/11/07/google-games-adsense/ 11/7) [...]
6:36 AM PT
[...] Малик пишет, что в скором времени Google станет продвигать еще одну [...]
8:42 AM PT
Hmmm.. Re-inventing the wheel!
They could have bought either one of these who are already in this game
Yahoo / MSFT / FaceBook might go after one of these for sure!
10:02 AM PT
[...] Google to Launch In-Game Ad Network This Month GIGAOM Google’s long-rumored, game-focused advertising initiative is going to come to life later this month, according to sources familiar with the Mountain View, Calif-based company’s plans. Google, which bought in-gaming advertising company, AdScape, earlier this year for about $23 million, will unveil its game-focused strategy in two steps. First, Google will launch a beta test with Redwood City, Calif.-based casual gaming startup Bunchball Games. The second step in Google’s game-focused advertising strategy will take place in December, when the company will offer an ad-supported version of the PC game Psychonauts. This will be a downloadable game and will have 30-second pre- and mid-roll video ads. Source> [...]
5:52 AM PT
[...] une société qui intègre de la publicité dans les jeux vidéo. Selon le site spécialisé GigaOM, Google pourrait commencer à lancer ses publicités sur des jeux vidéo dès le mois prochain. [...]
10:29 AM PT
[...] Om Malik writes that Google is prepared to launch a beta test of its video game advertising platform later this month, starting with Bunchball Games. The ads will be of the pre-roll and mid-roll variety, that is ads that run before the game starts and in middle of the game (perhaps between levels), 15-second video-type ads (presumably Flash animation). Next month, Google will offer a free downloadable game, Psychonauts, with 30-second video ads. [...]
1:16 AM PT
[...] une société qui intègre de la publicité dans les jeux vidéo. Selon le site spécialisé GigaOM, Google pourrait commencer à lancer ses publicités sur des jeux vidéo dès le mois [...]
7:40 AM PT
[...] GigaOM advertisements, bunchball, casual game, facebook, google, Industry News reddit_url = [...]
1:54 PM PT
[...] Carlos Blanco me entero de que la iniciativa de Google de ofrecer publicidad en videojuegos podría lanzarse este mes, según [...]
7:09 AM PT
[...] une société qui intègre de la publicité dans les jeux vidéo. Selon le site spécialisé GigaOM, Google pourrait commencer à lancer ses publicités sur des jeux vidéo dès le mois prochain. [...]
6:01 AM PT
[...] Au Saturday, November 24, 2007 at 6:00 AM PT Comments (0) Just weeks after Om brought news of Google’s game-focused advertising initiative, another — albeit much smaller — player is throwing its hat into the ring as well. [...]
1:04 PM PT
[...] new network, which as GigaOm points out joins the likes of NeoEdge, Mochi Media and even Google itself, already claims to reach nearly 20 milion unique visitors across 40 sites. The company insists that [...]
7:07 AM PT
[...] new network, which as GigaOm points out joins the likes of NeoEdge, Mochi Media and even Google itself, already claims to reach nearly 20 milion unique visitors across 40 sites. The company insists that [...]
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