Expect more Xbox Live ads

Gamers should expect to see more advertisements on Xbox Live in the time ahead. Microsoft announced this week that its first wave of NUads (short for "natural user-interface ads"), which rolled out during fall 2012, have been highly successful and additional investment in this space is planned.

According to Microsoft, 37 percent of viewers engaged in some way with NUads when prompted with the option to vote. Out of this 37 percent, 71 percent actually voted in a poll. Additionally, 97 percent of those participants saw their vote included in a final tally of votes.

Microsoft general manager of Xbox Live entertainment and advertising Ross Honey claimed the company's NUads have "redefined the 30-second spot." He said that though traditional TV's 30-second spot has not changed much since the 1930s, NUads offer an unprecedented level of consumer engagement.

"These results show that NUads is a real breakthrough in TV advertising, and you can expect more investment from us when it comes to this new ad format and video advertising in general," Honey said in a statement.

Microsoft's NUads launched last year featuring ads from major companies like Subway and Toyota.