So what's all this then?

https://brave.com/brave-ads/

> Sponsored Images: Striking, high-definition images that are featured in the Brave new tab image rotation. Advertisers have the opportunity to feature their brand prominently in this coveted space in front of millions of consumers.

"Fuck Google, have Brave shove ads in your face instead!"

I’ve been using brave for years and never seen an ad on new tabs. New tabs typically have an image of mountains or some scenery, with a summary of the number of ads blocked and bandwidth saved because of those blocks.

In the beginning, Google also had very few ads...

It's not recommended because it contributes to Google's Chromium browser engine hegemony. Use Firefox for a real alternative.

isn't Brave chromium-based? Have they stated yet if/when they will take MV3 into/remove MV2 from their codebase?

Yes it is, and extensions for Brave are installed through the Chrome Web Store, as are extensions for other chromium based browsers like Edge. There's no escaping the manifest v3 event horizon for extension developers.

Other commenters mentioned that they will continue to support MV2 and are even planning to stand up their own extension store that offers MV2 extensions after Google stops allowing them in their store.