Mobile Gaming Goes Mainstream

This year’s Commonwealth Games saw a big first for the world of eSports. A pilot event at the 2022 Birmingham Games, co-funded by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) and the Global Esports Federation saw eSports included in the event for the first time. The CGF called this a success, with the president saying she expected eSports to be included going forward.

There’s no question that gaming has gone mainstream. From a niche hobby to a multi-billion dollar international industry, eSports has become such a mainstream success that there’s now even talk of implementing a drug test policy to ensure players aren’t taking performance-enhancing substances!

And it’s not just eSports that’s big business. Mobile gaming has gone from a source of quick entertainment to a big money business. 82.98 billion mobile games were downloaded last year (source; AppAnnie) and it’s predicted by SensorTower that 71% of Google Play’s revenue will be coming from mobile games by 2025.

Whether it’s payments to unlock extra features, purchasing credits or pay-to-play games, there are many ways to monetize mobile games. However, monetization shouldn’t come at the expense of user experience. In a mobile-first world, users expect three things; speed, convenience and security. So, how do you incorporate this into your app or mobile game?

Mobile carrier billing.

This allows users to make payments through their mobile phone bill rather than as a one-off purchase. There’s no need for the user to create an account or enter payment information – both barriers to purchase – payment is taken via the user’s mobile network and transferred to the game owner. This allows users to pay at the touch of a button without having to stop playing to get their card information. It also gives an added layer of security because no payment information needs to be entered in order to make a purchase.

The growth of gaming on mobile and eSports has opened up ever-increasing opportunities for businesses and popularised direct carrier billing as a form of mobile payment. The direct carrier billing market was valued at $59.7bn and is predicted to reach $94.2bn in 2026. As users prioritise safety, security and convenience and businesses look to maximise opportunities, carrier billing is becoming a common option for in-app purchases, membership payments, pay-to-play access and more.

If you want to look at ways to utilise mobile carrier billing in your business, find out more about our Pay product or get in touch with us today.