Adverts are bleeding into everywhere and now it’s coming to VR – the sacred ground that previously hasn’t been discovered by marketing agencies will soon be contaminated with adverts.

Now that’s a morbid view of the advertising world. That aside, it’s true – new sources of revenue could come in the form of VR. HTC revealed that they are rolling out VR ad services on their Vive platform. According to their tag line, the ads are meant to “maximize your ad revenue while maintaining a great user experience.”

Ads can be in the form of video ads, banner ads, 360° video and simulated “big screen video” ads into their virtual experiences, either as integrated parts of “in-app scenarios” or during loading screens and “end scenes.” Ads can also be placed as in-game as 3D models – so it’s a bit like seeing adverts in the real world – except it’s in a digital version of whichever world you choose.

According to HTC’s product page, “Ads that appear in immersive VR environments can not only provide more effective impressions, they can also track whether the users have viewed them or have turned away their gaze…..Compared to ordinary Ad impressions, Ads that are seen by users in a immersive VR environment can not only meet the user’s needs by means of precise re-targeting, but can also be detected if they are viewed effectively by users.” So seems like not only are you placing ads – you’re getting analytical data of how far reach your ads were, including tracking of whether it has been viewed.

As of now, it seems limited to the Viveport marketplace. It is also limited to free VR apps for now.