Hakuhodo DY Holdings and ARROVA conducted an “In-Game Advertising Survey” of 3,000 consumers aged 15 to 49 across Japan to understand the media effectiveness of advertisements placed within game and metaverse service content, as well as current consumer awareness and behavior. The survey found that ads displayed within game and metaverse spaces stimulate purchase intent and strongly encourage word-of-mouth sharing within communities. Regarding awareness of in-game advertising, users of smartphone games, game-oriented metaverse services such as Roblox and Fortnite, and social VR services such as VRChat were asked whether they had seen ads in games. Awareness of in-game ads, defined as respondents who said they had definitely seen them or felt they had seen them, reached around 80% among smartphone game and social VR users, and around 50% among game-oriented metaverse users, confirming the strong presence of this ad format. The survey also found that in-game ads deliver attitude-change effects after ad exposure that are equal to or greater than those of conventional digital ads. Social VR in particular showed a high rate of sharing with acquaintances. The same trend appeared in purchase intent: social VR ads displayed on spatial walls, signboards, and buildings scored 11.3%, the highest among all segments, about 1.7 times the score of in-app banner ads in conventional digital advertising, which stood at 6.8%. In terms of acceptance, 11.3% of smartphone game users said ads displayed on walls or signboards inside game content felt “persistent or unpleasant,” far below the 19.4% for general pop-up ads shown while launching apps. The figure was 11.2% for game-oriented metaverse users and 10.0% for social VR users. Spatially placed ads are considered easier for users to accept because they do not interrupt gameplay, unlike pop-up ads shown during app use. The survey also identified different reasons for acceptance among user groups. Among paying smartphone game users, 65.7