Web Shops make up 30% of game revenue in 2025. Here’s how to build yours!

30% of your revenue could be coming from a web shop, and you wouldn’t even see it in your external IAP dashboards.In this exclusive episode of 2.5 Gamers, we sit down with David Stelzer, President of Xsolla (formerly Epic Games, SEGA, CAA), to discuss how top-grossing games are ditching App Store dependency and scaling through direct-to-consumer (D2C) models.This isn’t theoretical.📈 The top mobile publishers using Xsolla’s stack are pulling 25–30% of their total revenue through off-store web shops — with 50% less in fees than Apple or Google.Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop💥 What You’ll Learn:Why web shops are the future of mobile monetizationThe battle pass + subscription combo every midcore game should exploreHow AI is reshaping LiveOps, A/B testing & offer personalizationWhy casual games are struggling and how offerwalls may be the solutionHow to launch a localized, conversion-optimized web shop in minutesThe right UA mindset for 2025 (hint: it’s not CPI chasing anymore)---------------------------------------🔗 Want more revenue, more retention, and more control?Xsolla’s Instant Web Shop might be your best-kept growth secret.www.xsolla.com---------------------------------------This is no BS gaming podcast 2.5 gamers session. Sharing actionable insights, dropping knowledge from our day-to-day User Acquisition, Game Design, and Ad monetization jobs. We are definitely not discussing the latest industry news, but having so much fun! Let’s not forget this is a 4 a.m. conference discussion vibe, so let's not take it too seriously.Panelists: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠Special Guest: David Stelzerhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/davidstelzer/Youtube: https://youtu.be/Ab6muq76UGoJoin our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipgChapters00:00 Introduction to Exola and David Stelzer03:16 Evolution of the Gaming Industry06:30 Monetization Strategies for Game Developers10:27 Direct-to-Consumer Sales and Web Shops12:51 Trends in Mobile Gaming and IAPs15:01 Challenges for Casual Games in Monetization17:24 The Role of Subscriptions and Battle Passes20:00 Expanding into APAC and LATAM Markets22:53 Localization and Compliance in Global Sales25:04 The Impact of 5G and Cloud Gaming26:27 The Rise of AI in Gaming27:56 AI's Role in Game Development and Monetization28:27 Data-Driven Decision Making in Game Studios30:22 Building Effective Web Shops for Games32:37 Optimizing Web Shops for Better Revenue34:26 Leveraging AI for Enhanced User Experience36:37 Understanding Player Behavior for Monetization38:06 Actionable Strategies for 2025---------------------------------------Matej LancaricUser Acquisition & Creatives Consultant⁠https://lancaric.meFelix BrabergAd monetization consultant⁠https://www.felixbraberg.comJakub RemiarGame design consultant⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar---------------------------------------Please share the podcast with your industry friends, dogs & cats. Especially cats! They love it!Hit the Subscribe button on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple!Please share feedback and comments - [email protected] you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lancaric.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej LancaricLatest article - https://open.substack.com/pub/lancaric/p/match-3d-ua-playbook-real-data-inside?r=7qqaf&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=trueDo you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej AI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai