Microsoft-owned in-game advertising firm Massive, Inc. has signed deals with Electronic Arts, Activision, THQ, and Blizzard Entertainment to broker in-game ads for the Xbox 360 and PC platforms.
Following the deals, several high profile games will host Massive provided ads. Such games include Activision's DJ Hero, Band Hero, Guitar Hero 5, and the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen DLC; EA's Madden NFL 10 and Need for Speed Shift; and THQ's UFC 2009 Undisputed.
Massive's agreement with Blizzard positions the firm as the sole advertising provider for Battle.net, the online Blizzard-only gaming service due for a significant relaunch upon the release of next year's StarCraft II.
The ads deal is limited to the PC and Xbox 360 versions only; other platforms will not be affected. The deals are not limited to new games only. Starting in October, Massive will introduce new ads to some already released titles.