Appcharge Blog
Explore the inner workings of mobile game web stores with practical guides, insightful case studies, expert comparisons, and thought-provoking opinion pieces.
We Analyzed Web Store Adoption Across Top Grossing Mobile Games – Here’s What We Learned
The last couple of years has been quite the ride for us game makers. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) monetization has been embraced by publishers everywhere, amidst a tide of antitrust regulatory changes which have shifted the market wide open and paved the way for more choices for publishers and users alike. From a personal perspective, we’ve grown our partnerships considerably, now counting...
Inside our Rebrand: The Vision and Creativity Behind the New Appcharge
A New Look for a New Era It’s been a transformative few years for Appcharge. As we’ve helped some of the world’s top grossing mobile games launch direct-to-consumer web stores,...
Why Your Players Hate Your Web Store (and How to Fix It)
I’ve spoken to countless mobile game publishers, and one thing keeps coming up: web stores aren’t delivering as expected. You build the store, but players don’t come, or worse—they come...
Beyond The First Purchase: How to Build Web Stores Your Players Love Returning To
Editor’s note: this article was originally published on Business of Apps. “Habit-forming products often start as nice-to-haves, but once the habit is formed, they become must-haves,” says Nir Eyal, author...
2024 Was A Breakout Year for DTC – Here Are Our Highlights
I couldn’t be prouder of our team. What we’ve accomplished in 2024 has been remarkable – building the DTC platform trusted by over 1/3 of the top grossing publishers, scaling...
Should You Go DTC Now Or Wait For App Store Regulations?
Editor’s note: this article was originally published on Mobidictum’s website. Mobile game publishers are at a crossroads. With increasing regulatory scrutiny on app stores and changing policies, game studios face...
Announcing our $26 Million Series A, Led by Creandum With Support From Supercell, Play Ventures & Other Leading VCs
Today’s a big day for Appcharge. I’m excited to share our $26 million Series A round, led by Creandum, with participation from Supercell, BITKRAFT Ventures, Moneta VC and Corundum, alongside...
The Rise of Web Stores in Gaming: A Game-Changing Revenue Strategy
Editor’s note: This content was originally published on Game Makers, where our Chief Marketing Officer Gil Tov-Ly was invited to talk with Joseph Kim about the rise of web stores...
We Analyzed Web Store Adoption Across Top Grossing Mobile Games – Here’s What We Learned
The last couple of years has been quite the ride for us game makers. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) monetization has been embraced by publishers everywhere, amidst a tide of antitrust regulatory changes...
October 2024 Google Ruling: A New Era of Opportunity for Mobile Game Publishers
Game over for Google’s monopoly? Maybe not quite yet. But the game has definitely changed. The recent ruling in Epic v. Google has forced Google to open up Android to...
Boat Trips, Saunas and Expert Panels: Appcharge at PGC Helsinki 2024
Last week, the Appcharge team touched down in Finland for the highly anticipated PGC Helsinki, diving deep into all things direct-to-consumer (DTC) monetization. Our time there was packed with insightful...
Revolutionizing Mobile Game Monetization: A Conversation with Maor Sason
Editor’s note: This is a podcast originally published on Soar Payments’ blog. Listen below or continue reading for the transcript. Maor Sason is the founder and CEO of Appcharge, a...
Without These 4 Key Compliance Credentials, You’re Risking Your Game’s Revenue and Reputation
I’ve spent the better part of my career building secure platforms for mobile games, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that security and compliance are non-negotiable. When you’re...
Mobidictum interview with Maor Sason, CEO of Appcharge
Editor’s note: this article was originally published on Mobidictum’s website. Appcharge is the leading DTC platform for mobile game publishers to maximize profits through owning player relationships. They are the...
Alternative App Stores Lead the Conversation at Gamescom 2024
Gamescom 2024 may be behind us, but one trend is clear: alternative app stores are redefining the mobile gaming landscape. The Rise of Alternative App Stores This year’s Gamescom saw...
Appcharge Named Best Payment Service Provider at PocketGamer.biz Mobile Game Awards
We’re thrilled to announce that Appcharge has been voted the Best Payment Service Provider at the PocketGamer.biz Mobile Game Awards, held during gamescom 2024! This award is a huge honor...
This Game Developer Had to Pay $23M After Misreporting Taxes – Here’s How to Avoid The Same Fate
In 2023, Epic Games’ finance team got a call from Tokyo’s Tax Bureau. They just discovered that between 2018 and 2020, the company failed to declare its income from microtransactions...
Everyone Faces Fraud in Mobile Game Web Stores. But How Do You Fight It, Exactly?
Managing a mobile game web store can be a rewarding venture, with publishers increasing their margins by up to 25 percent per transaction. But selling outside the Apple and Google...
Introducing the Daily Bonus: Increasing Retention and Rewarding Your Players’ Loyalty!
We’re delighted to announce our new Daily Bonus feature for publishers! How does the Daily Bonus work? Our Daily Bonus feature is a customizable interstitial pop-up that players receive upon...
Launching a Web Store That Doesn’t Just Sell, But Thrives: A Go-To-Market Playbook (Part 1)
Launching a web store is one thing. Launching a web store that resonates with your players and transforms them into loyal customers? That’s a universe of its own. At Appcharge,...
Merchant of Record vs. Payment Service Provider: A Simple Guide For Mobile Game Developers
Selling directly to mobile gamers on a web store, outside of Apple or Google’s ecosystem, means you’re responsible for everything needed to sell globally. That includes processing payments, handling refunds,...
4 Creative Strategies For Driving Players to Your Web Store, Inspired by Pokemon GO, Merge Dragons, Candy Crush & Subway Surfers
Building a beautiful and profitable web store is hard enough, but many publishers find that the real challenge begins after their store is built and published. That’s because they need...
Mobile Game Monetization: 4 Tactics to Level Up Your Web Store Sales Funnel
As mobile game publishers aim to strengthen their business fundamentals, financial resilience, and autonomy, going direct-to-consumer is a strategic imperative in 2024. With the biggest publishers in the market steaming...
The Appcharge Manifesto
When we launched Appcharge in 2022, we knew we wanted to not only bring positive change to the mobile games industry, but also do things differently. Taking publishers into the...
Web Store Walkthroughs: Pokemon Go by Niantic
Welcome to the first edition of our Web Store Walkthrough series! Our goal for creating this series is to share the web store expertise of the Appcharge team with the...
Mobile Game Web Stores: Should You Build or Buy Your Tech?
In 2023, nearly every major mobile games publisher launched a web store. There’s a reason for this: by carving out a direct-to-consumer sales platform, publishers bypass the traditional 30% fees...
How to Choose a Web Store Platform for Your Mobile Game
The bandwagon is well in motion: nearly all top mobile game publishers developed a web store in 2023, and many more will follow suit in 2024. Some publishers chose to...
From Code to Checkout: Tackling the Top 5 Challenges in Crafting Your Game’s Web Store
By now, it’s no secret that a web store is the golden ticket to catapulting your mobile game revenue into the stratosphere. But the path to building a successful web...
A Perfect Storm: 5 Industry Trends Fueling the Rise of Web Stores
2023 saw numerous leading mobile game publishers build their own web stores, allowing them to sell directly to players – and bypass the usual 30% fees in the process. But...
5 Quick Ways to Boost Your Web Store Revenue
Making your web store a gold mine for revenue isn’t just wishful thinking—it’s totally doable. This article is your go-to guide, packed with smart moves and insider tips specifically crafted...
Play it Safe: The Appcharge Approach to Risk Mitigation
As game developers, we pour our hearts and souls into creating captivating experiences, while the risk of fraud and fraudulent chargebacks is always lurking in the shadows. The need for...
Why Web Stores Offer a Better Deal For Your Mobile Game VIPs
We’ve already spoken about the $30 billion+ opportunity in the mobile games market. According to data.ai’s State of Mobile report, the sector generated $110 billion from player spending on in-app...
Google Play Proposes Third-Party Payments in the UK – But is it a Good Deal for Developers?
Google has proposed opening up the Google Play store to third-party payment systems in the UK in a move that would see it take a reduced revenue share. But all...
The Mobile Game Web Store Designer’s Playbook
There’s a monumental shift happening in the mobile games industry. Since Epic Games’ lawsuit against Apple centering around a dispute over the right to use its own payment system in...
Beyond the App Store: The Future of IAP Monetization
The future of in-app monetization is, well, out-of-app. With Apple’s deprecation of the IDFA and longstanding refusal to adjust their 30% tax on developers, in addition to an overall drop...