The prospect of Netflix-style ads in video games looms over the industry, particularly in recent years with the rise of game streaming platforms like Xbox Cloud and PS5 cloud streaming, and recent comments from Xbox's new chief strategist Matthew Ball have made those fears feel all too real.
In a recent interview with The Game Business, Ball expanded on a previously stated belief that ads are coming to solve the PC and console business's affordability crisis whether we like it or not. Ads, he said, could "allow the people who can't afford, or wouldn't try, to have an onboard to our properties and franchises."
Windows Central then reported, "Xbox's chief strategy officer Matthew Ball is considering the implementation of in-game ads," but this interpretation is "not correct," according to Ball, who sets the record straight on Twitter.
"In the interview, I am asked about a comment I made before being hired at XBOX, then state that I was only 10 days into the role, and that I am not stating the company's plans or beliefs," he says. "At no point do I even mention in-game ads."
This is not correct:• In the interview, I am asked about a comment I made before being hired at XBOX, then state that I was only 10 days into the role, and that I am not stating the company's plans or beliefs• What I do say is that ads should be used to offer more affordable…June 12, 2026
Ball's original comments from February, which prompted TGB to follow up in its recent interview, are specifically about "pause screen ads" similar to what you see in movie and TV streaming platforms like Hulu, Peacock, and HBO Max. That said, TGB refers to those as "in-game ads," which could have been the source of the discrepancy between Windows Central's reporting and Ball's intended meaning.
Still, Ball maintains that "ads should be used to offer more affordable alternatives alongside today's ad-free experiences, in the hopes more could play as a result. Similar to how Netflix and Disney+ have ad-tiers with all the same content, but at half the price or so."
"I personally believe interrupting the gameplay experience would be bad," he confirms.
Despite Ball's insistence that his comments aren't representative of Xbox's plans amid its big "reset," there's no denying he's in a position of enormous influence within the company as its chief strategy officer. Naturally, high-level decisions aren't made by any one person, but it's not unreasonable to think his personal beliefs on how to tackle an enormous problem could fundamentally influence a potential solution. It's a minor relief then that, although Ball is still advocating for ads in games, he draws the line at anything that gets in the way of gameplay.
