Just a week after it was reported that Microsoft might be putting advertisements in Xbox games, a new report has claimed that Sony is also mulling the idea of monetising games on its PlayStation consoles. The Insider report said that the Japan-based tech giant would introduce advertisements to free-to-play PlayStation games.

The intent behind the move is to help game developers generate ad revenue and encourage them to continue building free-to-play games. Advertisements are likely to be made a part of the game universe by the end of the year. According to the report, these ads would appear at "inconspicuous" places within the game. For instance, a billboard in the game universe may actually be promoting a brand.

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In some games, players may be given rewards for watching the advertisements. These ads would be sold through a private marketplace, added the report. However, Sony has still not decided if it would take a portion of the ad revenue or not. The company is yet to issue an official confirmation of the proposed development.

Meanwhile, Microsoft will introduce advertisements in free-to-play Xbox games. This is likely to happen in the second-half of this year. Unlike Sony, Microsoft has taken a call that it would not take a cut of the ad revenue, sources told Insider.

For now, advertisers are also trying to understand if it is a good idea to leverage this new avenue or not. They are not very confident about appearing within a violent game universe. On the flip side, Sony and Microsoft also fear upsetting gamers with the move to introduce ads.

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