According to the most recent Wall Street Journal, Microsoft plans to buy in-game advertising company Massive. The deal is ready to happen for the sum of approximately 200 to 400 million dollars.

Massive provides developers and publishers with the possibility of real-time advertising within their games. The company is led by gaming, technology and media industry veterans who claim to "understand gamers". Among their clients are Coca Cola and Honda. Neither Microsoft nor Massive have commented yet on the situation, but expect announcements once the deal is signed.

In-game advertising is slowly creeping up into MMOs and next-gen titles, although it has yet to prevail on a wider scale, rather than being the exception. Imagine for a moment what in-game advertising in the hands of a behemoth like Microsoft could mean. They will need to find the thin red line between integrating advertising efficiently (from the company's perspective) and scaring off their customers with exaggerated ad placement. Many gamers say they are okay with in-game advertising if it is used in a less obtrusive way; fitting in with the game's environment and setting.

But what will happen once we take the less noticeable in-game ads for granted? Will companies like Massive begin to shove them directly into our faces in smaller, less suspicious steps? Acquisitions like these could be dangerous, letting the publisher control developers (and ultimately, consumers) even more.

It's news like these making me wonder where gaming will be in 2011 or 2012. Not with visuals, gameplay or controls, but simply with it's mentality, marketing methods and the forces behind them.