XBOX Strategy Boss On In-Game Ads: “Interrupting The Gameplay Experience Would Be Bad”

The concept of advertisements in gaming is a continued concern. Back in 2022, it was reported by Business Insider that both Microsoft alongside Sony are investing in means to bring the business model to each respected platform. On XBOX, we have seen this on the dashboard to some capacity. Last year, it was reported a free, ad-supported tier for Game Pass was also in the works as well for its subscription.

In a later development, the proposed ad tier was said to enter closed testing and feature a playtime of only a handful of hours per month. On the other side of the discussion, PlayStation has shown similar actions towards the concept too. In fall 2024, players were able to find advertisements on the home page for a select time which the platform deemed as a “technical error” at the time. 

This week when speaking to The Game Business, XBOX chief strategy officer Matthew Ball spoke on advertisements used in today’s market of services and its quirks to generate revenue. However, reports misconstrued the comment as him advocating for ads on the platform; in-game ads specifically. On X, Ball elaborated on what he actually meant which you can read below:

“What I do say is that ads should be used to offer more affordable alternatives alongside today’s ad-free experiences, in the hopes more could play as a result,” Ball shared in his explanation. He even went to the extent to insist that he is strongly against ads that disrupt gameplay. At no point do I even mention in-game ads,” and adds, “I personally believe interrupting the gameplay experience would be bad.”

In his short tenure at XBOX, shorter than boss Asha Sharma, Ball has spoken openly about the changes already coming to the platform. On the matter of XBOX Game Pass, he went into depth about the price change for Ultimate which did originally lose the service millions before Sharma changed the monthly pricing. You can read the full report by heading here.

Are you relieved with the update from Ball on his statement?