{"id":3423,"date":"2026-10-21T18:38:41","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T18:38:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nuprogrammatique.com\/?p=3423"},"modified":"2026-10-21T18:39:28","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T18:39:28","slug":"video-game-advertising","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nuprogrammatique.com\/en\/blogue\/video-game-advertising\/","title":{"rendered":"Video Game Advertising: How It Works and Why Brands Should Pay Attention"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Video games have become a full-fledged advertising space, on par with video, audio or display. Yet they are still often seen as a secondary territory, wrongly associated with esports or games for teenagers, when most of this market lies elsewhere: in the casual mobile games that millions of people open every day. This distorted image has a real cost. It leaves out one of the few environments where a young adult audience, increasingly hard to reach through traditional channels, willingly spends time and attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article explains what advertising in video games<\/strong> is, how it is bought programmatically, and why inventory selection matters more here than on almost any other channel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Video Game Advertising: What Are We Really Talking About?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Video game advertising<\/strong>, also known as in-game advertising<\/strong>, refers to any ad delivered inside a video game, on mobile, console or computer. It differs from in-app advertising, which covers all ad formats served within mobile apps, games included. In-game is therefore a subcategory of in-app, but it follows its own integration and measurement rules, because the delivery environment is interactive and immersive rather than static.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As with video or display, buying this inventory is now largely automated. Specialized platforms connect game publishers with media buyers, with targeting based on the game context, the player profile or the moment in the session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This channel is not reserved for brands in the video game industry. Consumer brands in food, automotive or financial services are increasingly using it to reach a young adult audience that is well represented in mobile gaming but harder and harder to reach through traditional advertising channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Programmatic Buying Changes in Practice<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Historically, advertising in video games<\/strong> went through direct deals between advertisers and publishers, reserved for the largest investments and the most popular games. The arrival of specialized bidding platforms changed that dynamic: in-game inventory is now accessible through the same programmatic buying platforms as display or video, with targeting that can combine contextual, behavioural and demographic data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This opens access to a vast, fragmented inventory spread across thousands of games rather than concentrated in a handful of AAA titles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In short:<\/strong> programmatic in-game buying works on the same principle as display or video. A bidding platform connects the inventory available in games, in real time, with the buyer best matched to the profile of the player being exposed. The difference lies in the environment, which is interactive and often 3D, and brings its own rules for visual integration and measurement.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Advertising Formats in Video Games<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Static and Dynamic Advertising<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Static formats place a fixed advertising image within the game\u2019s setting, such as a billboard in a virtual stadium or a poster on a wall. Dynamic formats allow that content to change in real time, which makes geographic or time-based targeting possible, similar to what digital out-of-home advertising offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rewarded Video<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This format invites players to watch a full video ad, usually 15 to 30 seconds long, in exchange for an in-game benefit such as virtual currency, an extra life or an item. Because players choose to be exposed, completion rates are significantly higher than with traditional video formats. This logic of voluntary completion ties into the issues covered in our article on video advertising<\/mark><\/strong><\/a>, notably the distinction between captive attention and genuine attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Playable Ads<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A playable ad gives an interactive preview of another game, usually to promote it. Users try a simplified version for a few seconds before being redirected to the app store page. The format originated in mobile gaming but is expanding to other sectors looking for a higher level of engagement than simple video can offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interstitial Ads<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Served at natural transition points, between two levels or at the end of a session, an interstitial takes over the full screen for a few seconds. It benefits from high attention because it appears during a pause in use rather than interrupting a continuous flow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Why This Channel Deserves a Place in Media Planning<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Casual mobile gaming (puzzle, simulation, card games) accounts for the majority of play sessions, far ahead of esports or AAA console games. The audience is broad, spanning age groups and socioeconomic profiles, and above all highly engaged: time spent in a gaming session far exceeds time spent scrolling a social feed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a brand, this means access to a kind of attention that is rarely available elsewhere, in an environment where users are not trying to get away from advertising but are active and focused on a task.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A concrete example: a consumer brand looking to reach a young adult audience can run a rewarded video format across several high-retention casual mobile games, rather than concentrating its entire investment on a single popular title. Combined with contextual targeting based on game type and the moment in the session, this approach extends the campaign\u2019s actual reach without relying on scarce, expensive inventory. In-game does not replace other video or display channels. It adds to them, reaching an audience at a moment when it is not exposed to any other screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inventory Selection: The Deciding Factor on This Channel<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Inventory fragmentation<\/strong>: Unlike a few dominant video platforms, in-game inventory is spread across thousands of games rather than a handful of reference environments. Without a partner able to centralize and qualify this inventory, a campaign risks running on games that match neither the target audience nor the expected level of quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fit between the game and the brand objective<\/strong>: A mobile strategy game and a console shooter offer neither the same audience nor the same attention context. The choice of environment should follow the campaign objective and the brand\u2019s positioning, not the other way around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visual integration of the format<\/strong>: A format that is poorly integrated into the game\u2019s setting, too intrusive or placed at a moment that breaks the gameplay experience, produces the opposite of the intended effect: rather than benefiting from the player\u2019s attention, the brand is met with rejection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In practice, two campaigns using the same format and the same investment can deliver very different results based on the quality of the selected inventory alone. This is what separates a successful in-game activation from an unsuccessful one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other Challenges Specific to In-Game Advertising<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Viewability measurement<\/strong>: In a 3D environment where the camera moves, determining whether an ad was actually seen, and for how long, requires measurement standards adapted to the format, different from those used for a static screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brand safety<\/strong>: In-game inventory requires checking the game\u2019s age rating and the type of content, so that a consumer brand does not end up alongside a mature-rated title without having chosen to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Common Mistakes in Video Game Advertising<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Confusing in-game advertising with esports sponsorship<\/strong>: Sponsoring esports events or teams is a different type of deal, usually negotiated directly, and represents only a marginal share of the video game advertising market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ignoring age ratings in brand safety<\/strong>: Failing to filter inventory by ESRB rating exposes a brand to unwanted content associations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taking inventory by default instead of selecting it<\/strong>: Accepting the inventory you are offered without vetting it means letting chance decide where the brand appears, on a channel where that decision matters more than elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Treating in-game as separate from the rest of the media strategy<\/strong>: As with video or audio, this channel works best when planned to complement other levers, not as an isolated experiment disconnected from the rest of the media investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What N\u00dc Does Differently<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At N\u00dc, in-game inventory is one of the environments we can activate within an omnichannel media strategy, alongside display, video, audio and DOOH. The decision to use this channel always starts from the business objective, never from a passing trend. Our team assesses whether the audience and the gaming context genuinely serve the brand before investing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because inventory selection carries so much weight on this channel, we qualify inventory game by game rather than by broad category. Brand safety controls and fraud verification are built into the process, and our measurement goes beyond counting impressions to show what the investment is actually producing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ready to Evaluate In-Game Advertising for Your Brand?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Video game advertising is no longer a marginal territory reserved for gaming brands. It is an attention channel in its own right, provided you tell its formats apart, master its measurement and brand safety challenges, and build it into a broader strategy rather than isolating it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want to know whether video game advertising has a place in your media strategy? Let\u2019s talk.<\/mark><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions About Video Game Advertising<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What is the difference between in-game and in-app advertising?<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In-app covers all advertising served within a mobile application. In-game is a subcategory that refers specifically to ads served inside a video game, with integration and measurement challenges specific to that interactive environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you need to target esports to advertise in video games?<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

No. Esports represents only a fraction of the market. Most of the audience and available inventory is in casual mobile gaming, which is much broader and accessible through programmatic buying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which formats work best for awareness?<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Static and dynamic formats built into the game\u2019s setting, along with interstitials served at transition points, benefit from high attention that supports ad recall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you ensure brand safety in a video game?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By checking the game\u2019s age rating and the nature of its content before running a campaign, and by working with partners who can filter inventory against these criteria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is in-game advertising bought the same way as video or display?<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The programmatic buying mechanism is similar, through platforms that connect buyers with available inventory in real time. Targeting criteria and measurement standards, however, are adapted to the gaming environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is in-game advertising still underused despite its potential?<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It continues to be associated with esports and games for teenagers, even though most of the audience and available inventory is in casual mobile gaming, which spans all ages and profiles. This outdated image holds back adoption more than the actual technical constraints do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sources :<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • eMarketer, Programmatic Advertising Forecast and Trends H1 2026<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Video games have become a full-fledged advertising space, on par with video, audio or display. Yet they are still often seen as a secondary territory, wrongly associated with esports or games for teenagers, when most of this market lies elsewhere: in the casual mobile games that millions of people open every day. This distorted image […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3424,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[37,99,101],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-programmatic-advertising","category-publicite-video","category-video-game-advertising"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nuprogrammatique.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nuprogrammatique.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nuprogrammatique.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nuprogrammatique.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nuprogrammatique.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3423"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nuprogrammatique.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3423\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nuprogrammatique.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nuprogrammatique.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nuprogrammatique.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nuprogrammatique.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}