Microsoft Buying Massive

Via In-Game Advertising, there is a story in the Wall Street Jounal that says Microsoft is going to acquire Massive.

From the CNET:

"Microsoft is said to be planning to buy in-game advertising heavyweight Massive in a deal worth $200 million to $400 million, the Wall Street Journal is reporting.

According to the Journal (paid subscription required), Microsoft expects to acquire the 80-person New York City outfit in a bid to bring the technology behind much of the ads found in video games today in-house."

Vedrashko bought a copy - here are some pull quotes:

"Advertisers spent about $56 million on advertisements in videogames last year, up from $34 million the prior year."

"So far, Massive mainly delivers ads into games for personal computers, which are commonly connected to the Internet. But a bigger opportunity lies in delivering ads to systems such as Xbox 360, Sony Corp's forthcoming Playstation 3 and other consoles that account for most of the industry's sales. [...] Massive, in fact, has quietly begun delivering ads into games for the Xbox including Ubisoft's action title, "Rainbow Six Lockdown".