Google AdSense for Games Coming “Soon”
Thursday, July 19th, 2007;
-- Andy Beal |
Google’s Bernie Stolar and Greg Schaffer spoke at the Casual Connect game convention this week and shared details of Google’s plans to bring AdWords to video games via “AdSense for Games.”
…game publishers will be able to use the Google system to put advertising in their games, and advertisers will be able to work through the Google system to buy ad space within games. Schaffer said it will start with ads in Web-based games, with plans to move into PC and console games later on.
Google will roll out both video and text-based ads, but there’s no timeframe for launch, other than “soon.”
And in case anyone thought Google might have an interest in developing their own video games - they don’t.
“I’m going to be very clear right now,” Stolar said. “Google is involved in in-game advertising. I’m going to say it one more time, in case there’s any misconceptions here: in-game advertising. This is an area that Google believes will have tremendous growth over the next number of years. …”
“No Gbox, Bernie?” asked Google’s Greg Schaffer, playing along.
Nope, no plans for a console, Stolar said. And no “Google Live,” no video-game portal, and no video-game search, he said. Later, Stolar reiterated, “We are not going to be a publisher or a developer or a portal for games, at all. That’s the jobs of everybody here. That’s why we want to partner with you.”
So you heard them loud and clear - they’re planning to build mobile video games.

Category: Google
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July 19th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
great……
July 19th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
This would be a great move. Sounds a little more complicated to implement than video though.
July 19th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
They just keep thinking of new ways to stick ads in everywhere to make more money. When will the public get fed up with being bombarded with this?
July 19th, 2007 at 3:09 pm
I have a hard time seeing people clicking on ads while playing a video game, but I can see it effective as a means of branding if you can match the right ad with the right game.
July 19th, 2007 at 4:40 pm
Their best success will likely be to place relevant ads alongside all of the online flash games - that’s a huge channel on its own.
July 20th, 2007 at 3:14 am
Hello Friends……….
Its a great news for game publishers.
July 20th, 2007 at 7:05 am
There will come a time that, like everything taken to the limit, they will ruin video games as we know them and the whole idea of “fun and entertainment” will be replaced with “ROI and revenue”. I can see it now, a 15th century samurai game with Pepsi ads.
Stay out of it, GL! Do it for us gamers.
P.S. I’m saying this as a 21 year old video game lover, not a marketer. I can kind tell your ages from the comments you left. But let’s be fair, everyone is entitled to their opinion.
Sorry if this sounded offensive.
July 20th, 2007 at 9:25 am
I don’t mind people making a buck - but you have product placement in games already, ads all over the site, and ads in videos, before videos and after videos - it’s now going into games —- can you say spam… people are going to start ignoring ads like they do banners.
July 20th, 2007 at 9:34 am
[...] Vía Marketing Pilgrim [...]
July 21st, 2007 at 8:48 pm
[...] by Wagner James Au Saturday, July 21, 2007 at 5:47 PM PT | No comments Whatever tumbles its stock is taking, one thing is clear: the search giant is dead serious aboutcasual games. That’s the gist from their “AdSense for Games” presentation at last week’s Casual Connect conference in Seattle, and if the specifics are still sketchy, the salient point is that Google is actively optimizing AdSense to work with Web-based casual games. If they deliver the goods, this is revolutionary news for game development, and the Net in general. The AdSense for Games initiative is co-led by game industry veteran Bernie Stolar, whose experience is mainly in consoles, but the initial focus, according to a report from the presentation, is “ads in Web-based games, with plans to move into PC and console games later on.” [...]
July 22nd, 2007 at 5:03 pm
[...] Google’s Bernie Stolar and Greg Schaffer spoke at the Casual Connect game convention this week and shared details of Google’s plans to bring AdWords to video games via “AdSense for Games.” game publishers will … via Marketing Pilgrim [...]
December 3rd, 2007 at 11:57 am
I think it’s great news to have this in games. Independant publishers might find a way to make some money and better games will be made by the general public. Also, if big companies start to use it, they will have more money to develop products of higher quality.