Microsoft axes â??$400mâ?? in-game ad firm Massive

Microsoft’s once-prosperous in-game advertising outfit Massive Inc has closed down, the publisher has confirmed.

Having initially bought the group for an estimated $200-400 million, Microsoft will now move Massive’s operations in-house.

The announcement that a “small” number of staff will be retained was the only signal that redundancies have swept across the company.

Microsoft will “continue developing and expanding the Massive technology to meet the needs of our first-party gaming advertisers” read a company statement.

Massive’s in-game advertisement service will be integrated into Xbox Live and MSN, Microsoft said.

“We remain very committed to games and entertainment advertising, specifically on our owned and operated properties such as Xbox Live and MSN,” the statement read.

Earlier this year EA dropped Massive’s service to bring in-game advertising in-house, pitching to companies directly.