With increased adoption from some of the biggest brands and games studios, standardization across many areas, an increased focus on the creative output, and the continued acceptance from players of non-disruptive ads that complement gameplay, in-game advertising has seen another transformative year, and it has been amazing to see Anzu lead the charge as the most advanced intrinsic in-game advertising platform.

So what’s next?

We caught up with some of the leaders helping to shape Anzu and the industry’s success to find out where they see the space heading as we move into 2024.

Increased Consolidation and Standardization

Nerissa MacDonald, EVP Global Sales

Although the gaming sector has already seen a significant consolidation, the trend will continue throughout 2024 as more agencies launch their gaming offerings and tech giants continue to enter the in-game ad space, fuelled by the need to capitalize on the growing and aging Gen Z population. We also expect to see a large focus from gaming tech players and industry bodies around the continued standardization of measurement and in-game terminology, focusing on areas like frequency capping, where gaming sits in the media mix, and how we refer to people who play games, moving away from the stereotypes that the term ‘gamer’ still seems to carry.

A Focus on Console Gaming and Audience Segmentation

Guy Ben-dov, Executive Vice President Business Development, Games

Next year, we will see the big console players continuing to take in-game ads seriously, resulting in more console and PC titles leveraging in-game to help offset the large costs associated with game production. This will be incredibly exciting and result in more AAA developers looking to in-game and players continuing to get used to seeing ads within these environments. We will also see an increased focus on how advertisers target and segment audiences in-game and how developers and advertisers protect and safeguard players’ data.

A Year of Transformation and Reshaping Entertainment

Itamar Benedy, Co-Founder and CEO

Over the past few years, we saw the rise and fall of metaverse hype. From that, advertisers’ attention shifted to gaming, which emerged as an incredibly exciting ad channel that could be leveraged today rather than later. The buzz has helped the channel to mature and scale at an incredibly fast rate. As we move into 2024, we will continue to see gaming transform and shape how we understand entertainment and how advertisers connect with audiences. 

Platforms like Roblox will continue to replace traditional social channels and shake up the gaming ecosystem. Gaming engines will be used more and more outside of gaming to create realistic 3D experiences for films, TV shows, and other media, and Apple’s Vision Pro will put the spotlight back on AR and VR experiences. 2024 will be another exciting year for the in-game space, and although we have seen a huge amount of momentum over the past few years, we’re only just getting started!

Targeting and the Use of AI in a Privacy-First World

Natalia Vasilyeva, EVP Marketing and Strategy 

With Google’s plan to completely deprecate third-party cookies in the second half of 2024 and with no universally accepted alternative in place, it will be even harder for advertisers to make meaningful connections with audiences. In response, many will turn to in-game advertising as a future-proofed format because, unlike many other traditional advertising channels, it has never relied on cookies.

In tandem, AI will play a more significant part in marketing and advertising (as well as across other fields), helping marketers make even more informed decisions about how to best connect with their target audiences and allowing them to allocate their time more efficiently. 

In the gaming world, the medium will continue to become part of a media mix, shedding the negative stereotypes of the past and becoming adopted by people from every culture, generation, race, and background imaginable.

The Role of Creative in Shaping the Future of In-game

Simon Sworn, Creative Director

Next year, we will continue to see creative play and an important part in in-game as we continue to leverage data to understand what works and what doesn’t within dynamic 3D gaming worlds and what impact good creative can have on a campaign’s success. We will also see a rise in short-form video as brands continue to understand its benefits and more games become open to this format. How in-game advertising is used will also evolve, and brands will be inspired by the new creative opportunities that the 3D world presents, finding innovative and exciting ways to make meaningful connections with players.