People on Microsoft's Xbox Live gaming service can download a free game that's actually an advertisement for a car. The game, Yaris, debuted today, according to this New York Times story. It's the first free advergame to be distributed over Xbox Live Arcade, the story says.

The Times' coverage goes over the other advergames that Microsoft's Xbox team has been involved in, most notably the ones promoting Burger King, which were sold with burgers and fries, only at Burger King restaurants. Microsoft Entertainment and Devices Division President Robbie Bach told an audience earlier this year that he wasn't expecting the success of the Burger King promotion.

"If you had asked me a year ago, 'Gosh, you're going to do a promotion with the Burger King on Xbox Live Arcade and it's going to generate headlines in the business press about how we lifted Burger King's sales,' I would have been truly surprised," Bach said at Microsoft's Mix conference in May. "... It had a demonstrable impact on their financial results."

More companies are jumping on the video game advertising bandwagon, as the Yaris example illustrates. There are several different flavors of video game advertising, and Microsoft is wading deeper into all of them. Check out this story on the workings of Massive, the in-game advertising network Microsoft acquired.

Sony, too, is moving on its own into in-game advertising, according to this story from paidContent.org.