Hryb downplays Silverlight Live ad splurge

By Tom Bramwell Published 2 July, 2009

Is coming to Xbox 360, won't dominate it.

Microsoft's Larry Hryb has played down suggestions that the addition of Silverlight advertising to Xbox Live this year will transform the dashboard "into something that looks like Shibuya Crossing".

The addition of Silverlight support to the Xbox Live ad blocks will enable advertisers to reuse ad 'creatives' across various media, but after a report on Monday provoked concern among the Xbox faithful, Hryb posted on his blog telling people they "don't need to worry about a huge influx of ads across the dashboard".

"One of our core principles is to enhance, not interfere with the gaming experience, and we work directly with our partners to only deliver experiences that are relevant to the Live community," he wrote.

"Silverlight will help make those ads a more organic part of the dashboard, like we've done with some of the [New Xbox Experience] slots in the past. No one on the team wants to turn the dashboard into something that looks like like Shibuya Crossing. That's just not good for anyone."

Judging by the original report, it's more likely that Silverlight will be used to add whizzes and bangs to existing advertising boxes. That said, we do have to applaud the Kotaku art department's wonderful vision of a possible future.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (25) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • wizlon #1 3 years ago

    and the lame response as to why we pay a subscription service just to get bombarded with ads goes to...

  • GamesProgrammer Verified Games Team Programmer, Eutechnyx Ltd. #2 3 years ago

    If this applies to gold members as well they want shot!

  • rotmm #3 3 years ago

    I'm sure there is going to be uproar over this, but personally ads don't generally bother me unless they are overly intrusive.

    As for the "paid for, shouldn't get ads" argument, it's one I have some sympathy for, but it's just the way of the world. I buy a magazine or newspaper and they are both full of ads. Subscribe to Sky TV, still ads all over the place. Pay to go watch a film at the cinema and there's 15 mins of ads and previews (which are.... ads ;)) before the film starts, plus the usual product placement.

    My hope is that the magazine I read is better because it is ad supported, that there are more and more varied programs on Sky because of the ad support and that the film has better writing and/or special effects/acting/etc because of the product placement.

    That's my hope, anyway ;)

  • jack_klugman #4 3 years ago

    If its advertising which promotes content available through Xbox Live then it can only be a good thing - Arcade titles in particular seem to vanish into obscurity once the specialist press is done with them.

  • etherfiend #5 3 years ago

    If ads become intrusive to gold members I think Sony would be wise to make the most of the opportunity, I'd think about using my PS3 more for gaming rather than just blurays if the 360 just became adware. Microsoft were just getting it right as well, typical bean counters wresting control from the visionaries (not the knights of magical light) and destroying a product just to earn a little more moolah.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #6 3 years ago

    You guys have noticed that whenever you switch your xbox on, from the moment it logs into Live you get a whole screenful of adverts and have done for, like, 9 months now?

    All this news means is that some of them will be little flash movies.

  • KujiGhost #7 3 years ago

    Shibuya!! Shi-shi-shibuya!!

  • penhalion #8 3 years ago

    If the old Major is watching he should be aware that as a gold member, I damned well better have the option to switch this nonsense off!

  • Zomoniac #9 3 years ago

    One of our core principles is to enhance, not interfere with the gaming experience

    Which presumably is why you brought out a new dash that means it now takes about five minutes from noticing a new demo to actually being able to select the 'Download Now' link?

  • JahB #10 3 years ago

    One of our core principles is to enhance, not interfere with the gaming experience

    and how in the world does advertising enhance my gaming experience? as stated above, as a gold member i better be able to turn this crap off

  • TheWretched #11 3 years ago

    As yes... "reuse" their ads... which ads? I never see Silverlight ads on the web, except the ones MS puts up to promote Silverlight.

    For real "reuse" release a Flash Player^^

  • Pastici #12 3 years ago

    Uproar! Shambles! They treat us like dogs! Rant! Rant! Rant!

    I'll still be able to play games, I'm happy.

  • Toothball #13 3 years ago

    I'm not so much concerned about an influx of adverts as I am the presence of any adverts at all. I'd rather buy a TV series on DVD than watch it on TV to avoid such interruptions, among other benefits.

  • Darren #14 3 years ago

    I'm a Silver member now and Microsoft don't prioritise (a.k.a. like) people such as me ('cos we're not subsidising the directors' pensions) so if they do resort to advertising more on the dashboard then I rest knowing that I won't see them until a week after Gold subbies!!! ;)

  • kestral #15 3 years ago

    wow they are trying really hard to make xbox live unappealing.
    Edited by 1 at 02/07/09 @ 11:11

  • The_Programmer #16 3 years ago

    I love the way people complain about adverts on a site full of them. Don't you have to pay for the Internet or are you saying that all adverts should be removed from the internet unless it's free?

  • kestral #17 3 years ago

    no its just showcasing that people pay solely for the multiplayer and are unhappy with all the other stuff that comes with it.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #18 3 years ago

    THE ADS ARE ALREADY THERE!

    What do you think the Showcase channel that you have to press up to skip past is a news service?

  • m0thr4 #19 3 years ago

    @rotmm
    I buy a magazine or newspaper and they are both full of ads. Subscribe to Sky TV, still ads all over the place. Pay to go watch a film at the cinema and there's 15 mins of ads and previews (which are.... ads ;)) before the film starts, plus the usual product placement.

    Those newspapers/cinema tickets would be several times the price if it weren't for those ads.

  • Zomoniac #20 3 years ago

    I'd rather buy a TV series on DVD than watch it on TV to avoid such interruptions

    Or download it rather than do either to not have to watch the "piracy is bad" ads :)

  • sneetch #21 3 years ago

    @Mentalist(air)
    You guys have noticed that whenever you switch your xbox on, from the moment it logs into Live you get a whole screenful of adverts and have done for, like, 9 months now?

    All this news means is that some of them will be little flash movies.

    Personally. I couldn't give a crap about their Xbox LIVE service ads, it's and Xbox and I find it useful to see what's new and upcoming. However, I think the idea that they might start trying to sell Coke and other random unrelated stuff (because, you know, Coca-Cola totally and organically enhances the gaming experience) to us is a lot less welcome.

    Still they say it won't be obtrusive so fair enough, I'll take their word for it, but if it starts downloading and playing noisy ads or "punch the monkey" shite I'll be a bit pissed. :)

    @TheWretched
    As yes... "reuse" their ads... which ads? I never see Silverlight ads on the web, except the ones MS puts up to promote Silverlight.

    After installing Silverlight and Flash I find it difficult to know/care whether a given ad is Silverlight or Flash.

  • sneetch #22 3 years ago

    @Toothball
    I'm not so much concerned about an influx of adverts as I am the presence of any adverts at all. I'd rather buy a TV series on DVD than watch it on TV to avoid such interruptions, among other benefits.

    Normally ads on the internet aren't interruptions though, they're more like ads in a paper or magazine much more ignorable. Unless you're talking about "filler" ads where you have to watch an ad before you see your movie or news story. Now those are irritating.

  • ebony69 #23 3 years ago

    Exactly as Sneech says. Since NXE you have had to scroll all over the fecking place to get to your games blade. Adds have been there for ages - who gives a feck about any NXE blade other than My Xbox??????? OK My Xbox and Marketplace are only two required all others if MS advertising.

    NXE is the worst thing ever on Xbox. Complete waste of resource that literally delays you jumping in as mr Hyrb would like us to.

  • DUFFKING #24 3 years ago

    NXE Guide Button Menu > Old Blades dashboard > NXE dashboard

    When it doesn't freeze every 5 seconds, that is.

  • RedSparrows #25 3 years ago

    Anyone who is still moaning about using the NXE to play games seriously needs to:

    a) clear cache
    b) l2quickplay
    c) get my NXE, cos it's fast