PaymentWall Brings Easy In-App Payments to Game Development

Making a game isn’t easy. Making a game make money is even tougher.

There’s a new way to make that happen, however, thanks to a new development from Paymentwall, which will bring the ability to bring microtransactions to newly-developed games and thus a potential means to profit.

Paymentwall recently announced the availability of a new software development kit (SDK) geared toward Unity, a popular game development tool, that will allow developers to being in-app payments to the games developed.

With Paymentwall, users will be able to accept credit cards, debit cards, mobile payments, bank transfers, and even pre-paid card options as a means to pick up in-game items.

Paymentwall project manager Jevin Tryon notes that the use of Paymentwall’s SDK will help make it easier to turn developed games into revenue-making propositions, which helps ensure future games will be developed as well.

Developers in over 200 different countries will reportedly have access to the development system, which in turn should allow a wider variety of developers to get in on microtransactions.

Monetizing games has always been somewhat of a challenge, particularly for independent game studios—particularly those who focus on mobile gaming—without the access to a marketing apparatus like those offered by triple-A studios.

Charging for the game outright is a good way to go, but it assumes that players are interested in paying for the game in question. That’s not always the case, and issues of pricing often come into play to make things a little more difficult.

Microtransactions offer a new opportunity for game developers, allowing them to offer up the game at no charge, but allowing ways to make games more fun and interesting from the transaction. New weapons, new vehicles—Team Fortress 2 made great success out of offering special hats that served no purpose other than the decorative—and a host of other options are on hand.

Microtransactions may not be every developer’s path to financial success, but used properly, they can certainly be a help. Paymentwall, meanwhile, allows an easier way to put such payment systems to work, and that allows more developers to give it a try and see how it works.