Shaking Down Those Ads
While IGA is no stranger to in-game ads, ad supported games of the caliber of Quake Live have not been that common. Still, the hope is that the quality of the gameplay will appeal to players and, as a consequence, attract advertisers. The pedigree behind the Quake license should also help drum up interest in Quake Live.

"The intention is not to have the launch page with ads in it," specified Tucker. "[The ads] will be in the arenas and brands might want custom solutions for different items, characters or arenas. We can easily program arenas or scoreboards for different sponsors. We want it to be natural and, at the same time, not disrupt the gaming experience."

"Our number one goal is to have these primary ads in futuristic gothic arenas," he added. "They've selectively put the ads in places where naturally it fits into the environment. So if it's in a dark, foreboding gothic dungeon, the ads will be distressed to match that. There will also be 'holographic' ads – a 3D image with a specific brand message along with the ability to emblazon a floor with a brand logo. There's also the ability to do a pre-roll video; that won't be in the game normally, but there may be a branded tournament that will have an ad before and afterwards as part of the entry."

"After the announcement [for Quake Live], there were 75,000 beta sign ups in a day or so. They got hit so hard with demand that they implemented an opt-in option because of the demand. They got 100,000 responses in a week or so," added Tucker. "Quake Live is custom built for the purpose of being an online, ad supported title and it's really a testament [to id] to make this sort of move. The ads are coming from a variety of categories and it's set up so that most people can play it, but will also give an exceptional performance for high level players."

What other franchises will go live?
There's no telling right now how well Quake Live will catch on, but the potential seems very high with other heavy players getting involved in the ad supported model. With an increasingly connected online world, we might see browser games like this become more of a trend as time rolls along. Until that time, IGA likes its position with Quake Live and id software.

"First and foremost, [Quake Live is] going to reinforce the brand with existing Quake fans and introduce it to new Quake fans," said Tucker. "I think it will spawn a new legacy and bridge generations, and it's got that cool hip factor to it as well. It makes sense to do from a branding perspective, since it allows id to bridge between major releases. Bridging the game allows you to breathe life into a brand between retail releases and it gives you different options to play a game in the franchise."

"Along the lines with Quake Live, we have conversations with other brands to bring them online in an ad based model. We've got several different titles that we're discussing right now, since the browser based casual game resonates with fans and helps you keep your brand active. It's also not a cost center; it's a profit center. We've seen a few of these recently and you'll likely see more of these, hopefully within the next couple months," he concluded.