The in-game advertising landscape: It isn't child's play

"Forget the old pop-up ads that you had to sit through before you could keep playing Candy Crush. In-game ads now integrate with the game world itself. You're playing Football Manager and you see your brand's ad appear at pitchside. Or maybe you're busy building a virtual city where the billboards are all ads for real-world products. That's where we're at now. In-game ads are bought in a similar way to other programmatic channels."

"Games have moved on and so have gamers. In-game advertisers now have a deep, established market to play with, one that commands a great deal of spending power. Firstly, stats show that gaming is globally massive; 3.24 billion people play at least semi-regularly. 76% of those folks are over 18, with an average age of 35. The old gender disparity has disappeared, various sources claim 48-51% of gamers are now women."

In-game advertising embeds brand messaging directly into gameplay environments, using elements like pitchside signage and virtual billboards to create seamless exposure. Inventory is primarily available on mobile today, with programmatic buying mirroring other digital channels, while PC and console inventory are set to grow. Campaigns perform best when supported by robust data and integrated into broader marketing strategies rather than relied on alone. The market potential is substantial, estimated at $6.8bn, and the gaming audience is large and mature—about 3.24 billion players, 76% over 18, average age 35, with near gender parity and strong in-game spending by women.

Read at The Drum