THQ and Massive sign in-game ad deal

Mon Nov 24 2008, 19:18 PM

THQ is hoping to increase poor game revenues after securing the services of Microsoft's Massive division to provide in-game ads for THQ's Xbox 360 and PC titles.

Deal Details

The companies did not list all the games where the ads will be placed, although Massive COO Eric Bassman says the firm will develop ads for the Volition-developed Saints Row 2, which was released in October 2008.

Bassman claims Saints Row 2 shipped more than 2m units worldwide in its first two weeks of release, adding: "By aligning with THQ, Massive is now poised to represent new content and franchises that are realising enormous market success globally."

The deal should help boost THQ after a year of poor financial results. In February, the firm reported a 75% drop in profit to USD62.1m, despite revenue growth of 6% to USD15.5m. It also had USD27m in non-cash charges linked to the cancellation of poorly selling games such as Juiced and Stuntman.

The deal is also likely to be profitable for Massive, which was one of the first companies to create in-game ads. The firm creates both static and dynamic ads and has deals with publishers such as Konami and Activision. This year, Massive created the Obama ads placed in EA's Burnout Paradise in the run-up to the presidential election.

However, THQ is still free to make further deals with other in-game ad partners for its Sony PlayStation 3 games. VentureBeat says Massive rivals such as IGA Worldwide, NeoEdge Networks and Google's AdSense for Games could all be in the running.