Xbox Video for Brands Trades a 3-Minute Ad for 30 Minutes of Cloud Play
Microsoft announced Xbox Video for Brands on November 13, an ad-supported cloud gaming service aimed at advertisers.
1 source 26m ago
Reporting from 1 source: Automaton.
Why it matters
The ad-to-play ratio has been cut from the July test's one hour per ad to 30 minutes per 3-minute ad, which is the number players will judge the service on when it opens beyond the Insider test.
Key Facts
- Microsoft announced Xbox Video for Brands on November 13.
- Watching a 3-minute unskippable video ad gives a 30-minute Xbox Cloud Gaming session.
- The July Xbox Insider Program test offered 1 hour of play per video ad.
- The service requires no Xbox Game Pass subscription or cloud gaming usage fee.
- Supported devices include Xbox consoles, PC, certain smart TVs, and Amazon Fire TV.
Players watch an unskippable 3-minute video ad, shown before the session and during cloud loading, to get a 30-minute gameplay session on Xbox Cloud Gaming without a Game Pass subscription. A limited test ran for Xbox Insider Program participants since July, when a session was 1 hour per ad.
The ad runs before the session starts and again during cloud loading, and it cannot be skipped. Microsoft also set out basic advertising principles: ads should not interrupt the flow of gameplay, should be clearly marked as ads, and should meet quality standards equivalent to Xbox content.
The service covers owned supported titles and Game Pass eligible titles, played by streaming rather than download, on Xbox, PC, and some supported devices including certain smart TVs and Amazon Fire TV. No subscription or cloud gaming usage fee is required.
Written with AI by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited. See our editorial policy.
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