Exent Unveils New In-Game Advertising Solutions

Officials from Israeli games-on-demand provider Exent Technologies have announced the launch of a new suite of in-game advertising solutions for new and existing video games, allowing in-game ads with what Exent claims is "without the need to access the game’s source code or any SDK integration." The new solution enables advertising to be added, according to the company, "at any stage of a product’s life cycle, without any involvement from the original developer, where previously the functionality generally has had to be added during the development phase." This should allow any back catalogue title to include advertising, without any technical considerations, but the company does not explain how this technical solution works, and whether it uses 'splash screens' bookending the title or attempts to switch in-game graphics. "In-game advertising is the next step in the evolution of the games industry," said Exent CEO Zvi Levgoren. "Exent technology provides the key to unlock an impressive inventory of in-game advertising spots. Appealing to game publishers, brand owners, media companies and service providers, Exent's in-game advertising solutions create new revenue channels for all involved and an opportunity for consumers to reap the monetary benefits." Exent recently received investment from both Intel and Cisco, and currently powers games-on-demand services for major providers including Comcast, Turner (GameTap), Verizon, Yahoo and RCN, streaming games directly onto home computers, although previously, its only experience with in-game advertising was its own ad-based games. The news of its new technology suite comes in the wake of significant activity within the in-game advertising market, with the Wall Street Journal recently suggesting that Microsoft was poised to acquire market leader Massive Incorporated.