Meta, Twitch, Zynga among presenters for inaugural PlayFronts

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has spent the past decade introducing advertisers to the digital media companies that want their money. Now, it’s training its eye on the wide world of video games.

The IAB has announced the slate for its inaugural PlayFronts, which it describes as “an annual marketplace dedicated to advertising and partnership opportunities in the gaming industry.” A wide range of presenters will include newsmakers like Meta and Activision Blizzard; developers like Zynga and Riot Games; software companies like Unity and Niantic; and cultural institutions like Twitch and IGN.

As with the NewFronts, which IAB also operates each year, the PlayFronts will serve multiple purposes. It will connect ad buyers to platforms at upfronts-style mixers, while also educating those buyers on opportunities and technologies they may not be familiar with. IAB sees video games as an extremely immersive medium that is ripe for investment from advertisers and their ilk.

“Gaming is an untapped ‘attention oasis’ that embodies many of the characteristics of the next wave of the internet,” said Zoe Soon, VP of the IAB Experience Center, in a statement. “As an industry, we can’t afford to keep neglecting the massive source of consumer attention that gaming provides. IAB PlayFronts will break down the biggest barriers and elevate the effectiveness of gaming as a marketing channel.”

The inaugural PlayFronts will be a single-day event, taking place on April 5 at the Convene venue in Midtown Manhattan. Here, courtesy of IAB, is a full list of the scheduled presenters:

For more information about the PlayFronts, check out the event’s official homepage.