Advertising
Ongoing coverage on Advertising.
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Discord’s Last Meadow Online April Fools game has users thinking its there to test future ad placements
Discord launched a browser-based MMO game called Last Meadow Online within its client as an April Fools' Day event. While the game offers a Discord badge for defeating a dragon, some users speculate it's a test for future ad placements, especially given Discord's reported plans for an IPO and the need for consistent revenue streams.
Unity sees growth in engine revenue, shuts down IronSource ad network in favour of Vector AI user-acquisition platform
Unity is shutting down its IronSource ad network and plans to divest its publishing arm to focus on its AI-powered Vector platform. This strategic shift aims to simplify the business and capitalize on growth in AI-driven user acquisition. The company also reported growth in its engine revenue despite increased competition from Unreal Engine and Godot.
Business and Finance
Unity announced preliminary first quarter financial results that exceeded its guidance. The company plans to enhance growth and profitability by exiting its non-strategic advertising business.
Judge tosses out X's advertiser boycott lawsuit
A US District Court Judge has dismissed X Corp.'s lawsuit against advertisers who allegedly participated in an illegal boycott. The judge ruled that the advertisers' actions, motivated by concerns over X's content moderation policies, did not constitute an antitrust violation. X Corp. is unable to refile the lawsuit.
Roblox claims its planned brand integration creator fee is totally not about revenue
Roblox is planning to introduce a new fee for creators who implement brand integrations within their games, with the cost scaling based on user traffic and engagement. Vice President Stephanie Latham stated the change aims to expand ad formats and user access to brands, not to generate revenue. This policy shift, expected next year, may face legal challenges and could impact smaller creators.
Apple confirms ads are coming to Apple Maps
Apple has confirmed that advertisements will be integrated into Apple Maps through its new Apple Business platform. Businesses will be able to create ads that appear at the top of search results and in a new 'Suggested Places' section, starting this summer in the US and Canada. These ads will be clearly marked and designed to maintain user privacy, with data not being shared with third parties or collected by Apple.
Roblox insists plans to start charging creators for brand integrations "is not about revenue at all"
Roblox plans to introduce a fee for creators who implement brand integrations in their experiences, starting in 2027. The company states this change is not revenue-driven but aims to evolve its responsibility to users, creators, and brands by standardizing ad measurement and compliance. This policy shift is part of broader changes to expand creator access to ad formats and tools for working with brands.
Apple will reportedly start stuffing ads into the Maps app
Apple is reportedly planning to introduce advertisements into its Maps app on iPhones this summer, with an announcement potentially coming this month. This move, similar to implementations by Google Maps and Yelp, aims to boost Apple's services business revenue. The company already features ads on its App Store and News app.
Take-Two boss Zelnick says it would be "unfair" to put ads in premium games
Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick stated that implementing advertisements in premium games, for which players pay $70 or $80, would be unfair. He noted that while limited advertising is acceptable in titles like NBA 2K due to its in-game context, it is not suitable for full-priced releases. Zelnick also discussed the company's strategy to expand its revenue beyond the US and Western Europe by localizing content and investing in emerging markets.
GTA Wiki goes indie as it slams 'terrible' Fandom ad plague: 'Intrusive, unavoidable for most viewers,…
The GTA Wiki has become independent from Fandom due to the platform's aggressive advertising and perceived mismanagement. Editors cited Fandom's intrusive ads and a new CEO as primary reasons for the migration to a community-driven network called Weird Gloop.
GTA Wiki editors cite "a reportedly pro-AI CEO," "terrible" ads, and restrictive censorship as they…
The GTA Wiki has migrated away from Fandom hosting due to editor protests against aggressive advertising, restrictive censorship, and the company's reportedly pro-AI CEO. This move follows a trend of other video game community wikis leaving Fandom over similar policy concerns.
Morning Metaverse
YouTube on TV is introducing unskippable 30-second advertisements, making the viewing experience more intrusive for users. This change affects how ads are presented on the platform's television interface.
Resident Evil Requiem now inadvertently features an in-game ad for a Half-Life YouTuber thanks to Capcom leaving in a fake website domain without registering it itself
Capcom inadvertently included an in-game advertisement for a Half-Life YouTuber in Resident Evil 4 due to an unregistered website domain. The URL 'newdawn-capcom.com', found on in-game computers, now redirects to a site featuring Half-Life branding, claimed by a Valve content creator.
Console gaming is growing much quicker than mobile as EA named top publisher
A new industry report indicates that console gaming is experiencing significantly faster growth than mobile gaming, with PC and console revenue rising by 13% compared to a 1% increase for mobile. Electronic Arts was named the top publisher for console and PC in 2025, despite Microsoft spending the most on advertising. The report highlights that high advertising spend does not guarantee success, as evidenced by Microsoft's underperforming releases despite significant marketing investment.
Tiktok refuses to axe racist AI-generated ads for Finji games
Developer and publisher Finji is facing a situation where TikTok is refusing to remove racist and sexist AI-generated advertisements for its games, despite the company not producing them. CEO Bekah Saltsman reported that TikTok's customer support acknowledged the issue but ultimately refused to take action, leading Finji to cease advertising on the platform.
Night in the Woods publisher Finji accuses TikTok of creating "racist, sexist" and uneditable GenAI ads for its games
Indie publisher Finji has accused TikTok of creating unauthorized, racist, sexist, and sexualized AI-generated advertisements for its games, including the upcoming Usual June. Finji claims they are unable to view or edit these ads and that TikTok's support team has been unhelpful in resolving the issue, despite acknowledging the unauthorized use of AI and misrepresentation of their characters.
Night in the Woods, Tunic Publisher Finji Slams Unauthorized "Racist" TikTok Gen AI Ads
Finji, the publisher of games like Tunic and Night in the Woods, has accused TikTok of running unauthorized and allegedly racist and sexist generative AI advertisements for its titles. Despite Finji opting out of TikTok's ad remix program, the company claims these ads appeared, and their attempts to resolve the issue with TikTok's support have been met with dismissiveness and deflection.
