Microsoft has recently filed a patent that would allow Xbox to show users ads during games. The patent, which was filed on April 23, 2026, doesn't necessarily indicate that Xbox plans to roll out such ad-based initiatives anytime soon, just that this could be something the company is considering.
چوونەژوورەوە
بۆ ئەوەی ئیدیعای شوێنی خۆت بکەیت لەسەر لیدەربۆرد!
چوونەژوورەوە
بۆ ئەوەی ئیدیعای شوێنی خۆت بکەیت لەسەر لیدەربۆرد!
Notice that the patent describes "interactive software," an umbrella term that encapsulates, but isn't entirely defined by, video games. This ad integration concept could potentially impact other applications as well, and not just on Xbox.
There are many obvious taboos associated with this proposed system, but it could spell trouble for Game Pass as well. You would imagine that, were this patent to actually be used by Microsoft, it would be for some new low-cost or free tier of Game Pass, or another service that's similar in concept. In other words, this would add another tier or pricing option to Game Pass/the Xbox Store. There are already four tiers of Xbox Game Pass (Essential, Premium, PC, and Ultimate), so another "ad-supported" tier could be confusing.
The official name of this Microsoft ad patent is "Contextually Aware Management of Interactive Software Application Access," and would, if implemented, dole out chunks of gameplay to users, separated by ads.
This is doubly true when you further dig into the specifics of the patent, which detail how a credit system could be used to control and monetize this concept. It gives examples of 15-minute, 30-minute, and 60-minute "blocks" that would be punctuated by ads, with each block corresponding to credits owned by the player. Again, this would be context-specific, and tailored to the given game—a multiplayer shooter might have fewer "credit minutes" than a single-player, story-focused game, for instance. The patent also suggests basing credits on game progress, like a certain number of rounds or levels. In whatever case, more gameplay time, rounds, levels, etc., would be granted upon watching ads.
The time-based structure is fairly straightforward, and mirrors what users are already accustomed to with TV and platforms like YouTube, but the active, participatory nature of gaming might make the progress-based model a better fit. It's not really how ads are doled out that's the problem, though. The real hurdle is putting ads in video games in the first place, which, despite there being a precedent for it, is far from conventional or popular.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://gamerant.com/xbox-ad-supported-streaming-game-pass-problem/
