New Microsoft patent could put in-game ads after boss fights, multiplayer

Microsoft has filed a patent application for a system that could interrupt PC and console games with ads, while using in-game events to decide when they appear.

Imagine this: it's the future and you just completed a quest in The Elder Scrolls 6 on the latest Xbox. You're pumped up, your blood is racing, and you suddenly get hit with an ad.

The filing, titled “Contextually Aware Management of Interactive Software Application Access,” describes an ad-supported model built around blocks of uninterrupted playtime. It was published by the US Patent and Trademark Office on September 3, 2026, and was spotted by TechSpot.

Under the proposed system, players would receive a “credit” granting them access to a game for a set period or until they reach a certain point. Once that credit is close to expiring, the system would look for a natural break before pausing access and displaying video, audio or static promotional content.

Rather than cutting into active gameplay at a fixed time, ads could be triggered by moments such as a loading screen, the end of a round, a completed quest, the end of a cutscene or after a boss fight. Watching the ad would then award another credit and let the player resume.

Microsoft patent proposes ads in exchange for more playtime

The patent gives examples of credits lasting 15 minutes, 30 minutes or an hour. Access could also be measured through progress, including completing a level, playing five rounds, finishing three multiplayer matches or defeating a specific NPC.

Games could send the system a signal when they reach a suitable stopping point. Microsoft also outlines an event-detection model capable of identifying menus, animations, sounds, characters and player inputs to determine when an interruption would be less disruptive.

In one example, a notification or countdown warns the player that an ad is coming and lets them choose to watch it early. If they do not respond, the promotional content could begin when their credit expires.

The system is designed for locally installed games as well as streamed titles and could operate on PCs, consoles, smartphones, smart TVs and headsets. However, the application does not name a specific Xbox game or service that would use it.

The concept closely resembles a Sony patent for showing AI-selected videos and ads during loading screens.

Microsoft has also patented cloud-based helpers that could take control and finish difficult sections for players, while Sony also filed a patent for tech that uses AI to monitor your gameplay and automatically create clips for social media.

As with any patent application, there is no guarantee Microsoft will turn the idea into a finished product.