In-game ad industry will be worth billions, says gaming expert

15th November 2007

Google's AdSense for Games' Bernie Stolan has predicted that in-game advertising will be a billion dollar industry by 2010.

He told GamesIndustry.biz that he thinks 80 per cent of games will feature advertising by that time.

Sports games are the clearest genre through which advertisers can target consumers but fighting and adventure games could also be used, he said.

"If you look at research, there are more people playing games than watching television," he remarked.

"That tells you there's a whole different audience," he added.

However, companies need to be aware of the various age groups that play games so that they do not alienate players, he warned.

Mr Stolan recently announced that Google believed the industry will have "tremendous growth" but that the company was not planning to launch their own console. It also has no plans to become a games developer, publisher or portal, he added.