Massive Incorporated 5404073 224381744 2008-07-08T16:35:25Z ResidueOfDesign 5557416 /* Service */ Plural of "Medium" {{Infobox_Company | company_name = Massive Incorporated| company_logo = [[Image:Massivelogo.gif|200px|Massive Incorporated logo]]| company_type = [[Subsidiary]] of [[Microsoft]]| company_slogan = Your Channel to the Gaming Audience| foundation = [[2002]]| location = [[New York City]]| key_people = [[Cory Van Arsdale]], CEO<br>[[Katherine Hays]], COO| num_employees = | industry = [[Advertising]]| products = [[In-game advertising]]| owner = [[Microsoft]]| homepage = [http://www.massiveincorporated.com/ massiveincorporated.com] }} '''Massive Incorporated''' is an advertising company that provides software and services to dynamically host advertisements within [[video games]]. Massive Incorporated was purchased by Microsoft in May 2006 for approximately $200 million to $400 million. <ref name=nytimes_ms> {{cite web|author=Matt Richtel |title=Microsoft Is Seen Near Ad Move |publisher=The New York Times |date=2006-04-27|accessdate=2007-10-11|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/27/business/media/27massive.html}}</ref><ref name="gamasutra">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=9186|publisher=Gamasutra|title=Breaking: Microsoft Acquires In-Game Ad Firm Massive|date=2006-05-04|accessdate=2007-10-11}}</ref> ==Service== The service, collectively known as '''The Massive Network''', allows [[video game developer|game developers]] to place advertisements within video games by providing a [[software development kit]] (SDK) and [[Server (computing)|server]]s to host advertisements to be streamed to clients when the game is played. The streaming of advertisements allows old advertisements to be removed and more contextual ones applied in their place. Where games such as ''[[Need For Speed: Most Wanted]]'' had static advertisements for [[Cingular]] and [[Burger King]]<ref name="washpost">{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/01/AR2006030102285_pf.html|author|Mike Musgrove|title=Advertisers Are Getting Into the Game|publisher=Washington Post|accessdate=2007-10-11|date=2006-03-02}}</ref>, advertisements supplied by a streaming network allow more temporary ads such as [[movie]] or [[TV show]] posters. Both the publisher and Massive can then continue to make money after the game has been sold. The software is made so as to capture the proper [[demographic]]: it would be a problem to advertise an [[R-rated]] movie in an [[ESRB#Ratings|G-rated]] game or to place advertisements that conflict with a game's [[genre]]. First, placement and layout of the advertisements is planned by the developers with help from Massive. Advertisements can be any [[Texture (computer graphics)|texture]], but to maintain realism, advertisements are generally placed on objects such as [[poster]]s, [[billboard (advertising)|billboard]]s, storefronts, and other likely media. Massive calls this "''Phase I: Design of the Inventory Elements''." Second, the SDK is integrated with the game to act as a client to Massive's ad servers. It allows the game to fetch the ad, display it on a surface, and analyze how the player acts around it. Massive refers to this as "''Phase II: Integration of the Software Development Kit (SDK)''." Third is self-explanatory, "''Phase III: Testing & Support''." These are the [[software testing]] and [[software deployment|deployment]] steps. ==Criticism== {{Weasel}} Video games have in the past generally been seen as an ad-free medium by [[gamer]]s. With the deployment of in-game advertising, especially by a major corporation, this so-thought "refuge" has been "invaded." Another argument leveled at in-game advertising is the cost of a single video game. While the ticket price of a movie is usually under $10 [[USD|US]], most games cost $50 US or more. However, a counterargument is that movies generally last about 2 hours while a game can provide tens or hundreds of hours of [[gameplay]]. One of the major problems with any in-game advertising is its current pervasiveness. It will likely take some time to find a level at which the advertising still makes an impact while not detracting from the feeling of the game. Poorly-placed or overplaced advertisements will break the [[suspension of disbelief]]. Some of the most blatant of Massive's advertising can be seen in the free version of [[Anarchy Online]], where gigantic billboards are posted all over, although there are fewer excuses for free games. A running joke is the "Wanta [[Fanta]]" ads in a [[sci-fi]] setting. Many [[Planetside]] players also became annoyed when small billboards appeared inside of bases. This was extremely unexpected as Planetside is a [[Pay to play#In Video Games|pay to play]] [[MMOFPS]]. == See also == * [[In-game advertising]] * [[Advergaming]] ==References== *[http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=60421 "In-game ads go PlanetSide"] by Corey Brotherson, ''Eurogamer.net'', September 8, 2005, retrieved June 3, 2006 {{reflist}} ==External links== * [http://www.massiveincorporated.com/ Massive Incorporated] * [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5510890 NPR broadcast] on Massive Incorporated and in-game advertising in general. * [http://r-force.org/modules.php?name=Forums&file=index Digital In Game Advertising (DIGA) discussion forum] * [http://nationalcheeseemporium.org/ http://nationalcheeseemporium.org/] - Contains a detailed review of the advertising technology Massive used in [[SWAT 4]] patch 1.1. [[Category:Computer companies of the United States]] [[Category:Microsoft subsidiaries]]