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Microsoft has started testing ads in Xbox Cloud Gaming with a small group of Xbox Insiders. The company has revealed that Xbox Insiders with an Xbox account will be able to stream games they own for free with ads. The program went live on July 23 and is open only to members of the Xbox Insider program for now.
However, the company has confirmed that the ads will run before an Xbox Cloud Gaming session begins. No ads will run when people are playing or waiting in a queue. Xbox Insiders get the chance to test games at early stages, and in exchange, they will watch a block of ads before the stream begins, then get an hour of uninterrupted streaming experience.
In the official blog post, Microsoft has acknowledged that advertising has existed in the gaming world for decades. Further, it stated, “When done well, advertising can help lower the cost of access. It creates another way for players to get into games without an upfront streaming purchase and expands audiences through new ways to play.”
According to Microsoft, there will always be some key rules. The company will value player experience the most, and nothing will come above it. Ads will come after that, and they will never interrupt gameplay. Advertisements will be clearly labeled and held to the same quality standards as Xbox content.
Also Read: Xbox Cloud Gaming: Making Premium Games More Accessible Than Ever
Many mobile games stop gameplay to show ads, which is frustrating; Xbox’s strategy differs from theirs. Microsoft has also taken a different route with services like PlayStation Plus Cloud Streaming, NVIDIA GeForce NOW, and Amazon Luna. Those platforms mainly depend on subscriptions. Microsoft is trying a different approach by placing ads outside gameplay instead of asking every player to pay first.
The real test will be how players react. Most people do not mind a short wait before a game if the gameplay stays smooth. If Microsoft keeps its promise and avoids interrupting matches, this model could become a good way to bring cloud gaming to a much larger audience.
