Ready for a bullish ad spending forecast? Despite game industry execs arguing that in-game ad spending forecasts from 2008 were probably too high, a new Screen Digest report is pegging global in-game ad spending to top $1 billion by 2014.

SEE ALSO: Updated: Microsoft Layoffs Hit In-Game Ad Unit

The research firm acknowledged that “softness” would continue in in-game ad spending for 2009 (as evidenced by Microsoft’s staff cuts at Massive and IGA Worldwide’s possible demise), but the report highlights two distinct advantages that in-game ads have over some other new media formats: they offer brands a “more controlled environment” than social network ads, and they offer a “more standardized value chain” than mobile campaigns, according to Vincent Letang, Screen Digest’s senior analyst for advertising. Release.

Photo Credit: Justin Marty