Gamemaker Ubisoft Montreal and Microsoft Canada announced plans this week for a new kind of marketing campaign targeting the country’s developer talent through in-game advertising. Together the software companies are hosting a co-branded secret section for gamers within the Canadian version of the Far Cry 2 website, where info about the game, Microsoft’s Visual Studio development system, and other Microsoft-based software are found — attracting both Canadian developers and hardcore Far Cry 2 fans alike.

The secret location invites gamers to download free trials of Microsoft’s Visual Studio, a free PC map sponsored by Microsoft Canada, and to view a diary that includes testimonies from the Far Cry 2 development team about its use of Visual Studio.

The website also hosts a quiz that allows players to register for a chance to win a spot in a group session to play against members of the Montreal-based Far Cry 2 development team.

‘The developer community in Canada is a unique group,’ says Ariel Vinizki, account director at Maclaren McCann/M2 Universal. ‘And while small in absolute numbers, they over-index as gamers. They love to be challenged, to figure out the puzzle — so having Visual Studio provide them with additional gaming opportunities, on a blockbuster title, will be appealing,’ he explains.

From Media in Canada