MASSIVE INCORPORATED UNLEASHES NEXT GEN VERSION OF ITS IN-GAME ADVERTISING TECHNOLOGY
Enhancements in Version 3.0 Allow Publishers and Developers to Integrate In-Game Advertising Into Their Next Generation Titles
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 15, 2005 - Massive Incorporated, creator of the world's first and only video game advertising network, today released Version 3.0 of its dynamic advertising technology. Version 3.0 represents a significant advancement in Massive's software and network infrastructure, providing game developers and publishers with the most efficient way to integrate real-world, contextual ads into their next generation titles. Since it was founded in 2002, Massive's continuous innovations have produced the leading dynamic advertising infrastructure, enabling developers and publishers to effectively capitalize on their powerful media content.
"Massive's technology has opened up exciting possibilities for the games we create," said Louis Lamarche, producer at Ubisoft Montreal. "Massive has an efficient integration process and extensive support that is helping Ubisoft to explore new ways to incorporate realistic advertising into our games without sacrificing performance or prolonging development cycles."
With the game industry facing increasing costs fuelled by rising development and marketing expenses, dynamic advertising is seen as a critical revenue opportunity for all parties. Publishers and developers with games in the Massive Network are generating $1-2 in direct profit for each connected unit. To date, 26 leading publishers have committed over 100 titles to the Massive Network-which has now served over 24 million hours of game play.
Key advancements in Version 3.0 include:
- Technology and infrastructure geared to the demands of next-gen consoles and PCs.
- Complete thread-safety for compatibility with the increased complexity of the next-generation multi-processor and multi-application environments.
- Improved communication and bandwidth controls that allow for more efficient sharing of bandwidth resources in games with highly interactive online gameplay.
- Reduced footprint and improved memory management controls that further reduce the already minimal resources needed to integrate advertising into video games.
- Increased security through advancements in the encryption of Massive's infrastructure which employs electronic signatures as well as private / public encryption keys similar to the encryption used for online credit card transactions.
- Optimization of the gamer's experience by differentiating ad delivery to high and low bandwidth connections. The gameplay experience is never slowed down or impacted in any way by downloading ads inappropriate for the user's connection speed.
"Massive makes it possible to efficiently integrate in-game advertising that fits within the context of the games. The latest advancements deliver both expanded revenue opportunities and an even better experience for the people who enjoy our games," said Tomas Melian, VP of Integrated Marketing at Vivendi Universal Games.
Massive's technology consists of both an AdClient that is integrated into the game at the development stage and an AdServer that dynamically delivers ads through an online connection into the game environment. Massive's technology and latest enhancements allow all forms of downloadable media and advertising content to be contextually integrated into the game, including image, audio, video and game object formats. In addition, the Massive AdServer provides complete ad campaign measurement, geographic targeting and the most comprehensive reporting on ad exposure, interaction and overall gameplay.
Quality Assurance
Massive applies a rigorous quality assurance process throughout a title's life-cycle. Every ad element is tested in all titles prior to ship. Massive also provides developers and publishers with substantial technical and creative services support to assist with ad placement and design, at no cost.
The quality of the ad delivery and gameplay experience is critical for developers, publishers, advertisers and gamers alike. Massive customizes ad creative to every ad unit on a title by title basis-for the most natural looking game experience.
Developers and publishers retain complete control of where advertising is placed and how it is executed-the creative vision of a game and its functionality are never compromised.
"With this new release, we have improved upon the success of our initial implementation with a new object-oriented architecture that substantially eases the integration process for next-gen developers. The performance of the 3.0 AdClient and AdServer allows Massive to fully accommodate the higher level of service demanded by our growing list of global partners and clients," said David Sturman, Massive's VP of Technology.