Google AdSense for Games Coming “Soon”

Google’s Bernie Stolar and Greg Schaffer spoke at the Casual Connect game convention this week and shared details of Google’s plans to bring AdWords to video games via “AdSense for Games.”

…game publishers will be able to use the Google system to put advertising in their games, and advertisers will be able to work through the Google system to buy ad space within games. Schaffer said it will start with ads in Web-based games, with plans to move into PC and console games later on.

Google will roll out both video and text-based ads, but there’s no timeframe for launch, other than “soon.”

And in case anyone thought Google might have an interest in developing their own video games - they don’t.

“I’m going to be very clear right now,” Stolar said. “Google is involved in in-game advertising. I’m going to say it one more time, in case there’s any misconceptions here: in-game advertising. This is an area that Google believes will have tremendous growth over the next number of years. …”

“No Gbox, Bernie?” asked Google’s Greg Schaffer, playing along.
Nope, no plans for a console, Stolar said. And no “Google Live,” no video-game portal, and no video-game search, he said. Later, Stolar reiterated, “We are not going to be a publisher or a developer or a portal for games, at all. That’s the jobs of everybody here. That’s why we want to partner with you.”

So you heard them loud and clear - they’re planning to build mobile video games.

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