Increasingly, game developers rely on microtransactions and other in-game payments to maximize their revenue. Especially in the mobile space, free-to-play games are more popular than ever. It is a great business model to maximize growth or to add a secondary source of income. However, setting up a gaming merchant account can be stressful. Fortunately, Instabill makes it easier than ever.
Challenges and Opportunities for Game Creators
Modern games make a lot of their money from revenue sources other than game sales. This trend is most exemplified by free-to-play games including online ad-supported ones. Trying to generate revenue through in-game transactions presents some challenges and opportunities for game developers and publishers.
While ads are a way to offer players free content, they can also be disruptive to the play experience. This is especially true with banner ads or interstitial ads that require the player to wait before getting to play. Additionally, the revenue generated per play session by ads is quite low. Even irregular microtransactions by a subset of players can easily eclipse ad revenue.
Another challenge that faces game developers more significantly than other software developers is that games are often significantly varied. The purchase may be for an in-game item or a bet on a gambling game. This requires a flexible solution that can accommodate different situations through extension.
The good news is that in-game purchases represent a lucrative revenue stream. With the right setup, they can bring in more income than game sales or advertisements would be able to. Investing in setting up a strong in-game payments system is worthwhile for developers to ensure their maximum profitability.
What Developers and Publishers Need From In-Game Payments
If you’re a game creator, you know the value of having a merchant account designed for your needs. These are a few of the features game developers and publishers need from a gaming merchant account:
- Real-Time Processing: Whether you are accepting in-game purchases for digital content or taking bids for internet gaming, real-time processing is important. Your players don’t want to wait, and you want to be sure your payments are being accepted before crediting the account. This is a must-have for games.
- Easy Set-Up Process: Integrating your merchant account with in-game payments should be simple. Unfortunately, not every provider has the tools to help developers integrate their payment processing systems.
- Broad Compatibility: Games are made with different platforms and distributed through various media. Don’t let your merchant account limit your creativity or your business’s potential. Use a merchant services provider that lets you accept in-game payments wherever you want.
- Multi-Currency Support: Gaming audiences may be all around the world. Again, there is no reason to limit your market just because of your merchant account. Instead, find one that offers processing for dollars, pounds, euros and more.
These characteristics make using your merchant account for in-game payments easier. That is perhaps the most important quality of any provider: it should make running and growing your business easier for you.
Instabill Makes Payments Easy
Instabill is committed to helping gaming businesses like yours get the most from their in-game payments. If you are searching for a merchant account to support for your business, these are a few of the reasons to choose Instabill:
- Flexible Payments: With us, you can accept a variety of credit card types. This including major brands such as Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover. We also process less-common cards such as Electron and Diners Club. Critically, we can process international cards such as JCB, China Union Pay, Yandex, TenPay, Pago Facil and more.
- Fraud Protection: Fraudulent payments are a challenge for all digital merchants. However, they can be particularly concerning for game creators because the audience for games is so global and diverse. We offer fraud protection to help keep your revenue streams and your business safe.
- Real-Time Solution: You need real-time processing in the game business. Instabill provides this, helping you to be confident about every payment you submit. Additionally, we make it easy for you to create hooks that execute logic after the purchase.
- World-Class Support: Instabill provides in-depth support to all our customers. We make it easier for you to get started and use our platform. With online resources and multiple ways to connect with service representatives, you can be confident you will always be able to find the answers you need.
- Easy Setup: Instabill is designed to work with all the games you may create or publish. It is easy to integrate with in-game payments. You can be confident it will help you solve your microtransaction challenges.
These characteristics make Instabill a top choice among gaming merchant accounts. It is the ultimate way to accept payments in your games. Better yet, with flexible payment options and multi-currency support, you can easily expand your business’ reach across the globe. Instabill provides everything you need to make the most of in-game purchases.
