Retail in games: from holiday peaks to always-on strategy

Welcome to The Business of Games Podcast, powered by Xsolla.In this episode, Lia Ballentine is joined by special co-host Lauren Baca, Global VP of Marketing at Xsolla Ads, to explore how retail strategy in games has fundamentally changed and what the most recent holiday season reveals about where the industry is headed next.For decades, the holidays were the defining moment in game retail. Physical shelves, launch windows, and a single make-or-break sales peak shaped how studios planned their entire year. But in a digital-first world, that model has flattened. Stores never close. Campaigns never truly end. And player expectations don’t reset with the calendar.Joining the conversation are Michael Jedrzejczak (Program Manager and Gift Card Consultant at Xsolla) and Adam Krause and TJ Consunji (Managing Partners and Co-Founders of Miniboss Solutions), who bring firsthand insight into how publishers, platforms, and developers now operate in an always-on retail environment.Together, they unpack how peak moments like the holidays have become stress tests rather than centerpieces and reveal where infrastructure bends, where strategy breaks, and where smart planning creates lasting advantage.You’ll hear how player buying behavior has evolved in a frictionless, global marketplace; why many studios are avoiding traditional Q4 launches altogether; and how live-ops, regional calendars, and continuous optimization are reshaping the meaning of “retail success” in games.By the end, one thing is clear: the holidays still matter, but they’re no longer the moment that defines the business. In today’s games industry, retail isn’t a season. It’s a system.What you’ll learn:Why digital storefronts turned retail into an always-on operationHow holiday behavior mirrors everyday player expectationsWhat peak moments reveal about pricing, payments, and infrastructureWhy release timing matters more than release traditionHow modern retail strategy is becoming inseparable from developmentLet’s get into it.For more insights and resources, visit xsolla.com/podcast. Want to join the conversation? Follow and comment on our LinkedIn page at The Business of Games Podcast. That’s where we’ll be sharing updates, highlights, and continuing the discussion. And don’t forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share the podcast with friends who want to learn more about the business of games.