Massive it is not. But Microsoft?s proposed acquisition of Massive Inc, which places advertisements in video games, is still noteworthy. Microsoft has lagged behind rivals Google and Yahoo in building an online advertising platform to take advantage of the surging business of paid search. MSN is only just rolling out its own advertising network to take better advantage of the business that has turned Google into a $130bn company.

But gaming is one area where Microsoft has made progress. It released Xbox 360, its new generation games console, ahead of Sony?s PlayStation 3. With Massive, it now looks set to buy the market leader in a new but potentially interesting area for online advertising.