InComm, a leading prepaid product and payments technology company, announced today that it has partnered with Xsolla, the one-stop-shop for game developers to launch, monetize and scale their games globally, providing a unique solution for cash-preferred gaming consumers.
GameStop will be the first video game retailer to leverage InComm’s cash-based payment technology platform, VanillaDirect™ Pay, to allow Xsolla’s customers to use cash to load their gaming accounts at any of GameStop’s more than 3,800 locations across the U.S.
This will allow gamers to buy online game subscriptions or in-game currency without needing a credit card or traditional banking account. Leveraging the VanillaDirect Pay solution will help Xsolla fill a significant market need in which 52 percent of their end users prefer to pay with cash.
“The growth of online and mobile gaming has presented retailers with a new and attractive way to reach consumers,” said Matt Lanford, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Financial Services at InComm. “Allowing consumers to fund their gaming accounts in-store using cash gives them the options they need to keep playing. Video game consumers are fully devoted to their game of choice and will be loyal to the retailers that help them play. Now, retailers can capture that loyalty, drive foot traffic and encourage additional purchases. It is a win-win for both sides of the register.”
Xsolla offers game developers a suite of tools and services that enables them to self-publish and monetize their games globally. It provides payment and billing solutions to some of the most popular online and mobile games in the world including Smite, Phoenix Point and PUBG. Xsolla’s partners’ games are played by over 50 million active monthly users. If those users want to fund their gaming account with cash, they only need to bring a barcode supplied to them through the game’s website or app to one of GameStop’s locations across the country. After the barcode is scanned and the payment is collected, the customers’ accounts will be updated.
“This partnership with InComm and their VanillaDirect Pay technology, allows us to give cash-preferred players the ability to quickly and conveniently fund their accounts, and get back to playing the games they love,” said Aleksandr Agapitov, CEO of Xsolla. “Our goal is to develop the tools and services that level the playing field by giving all of our game developers, from indie to enterprise, the ability to monetize their games to all gamers, at all GameStop stores. In turn, GameStop will have access to the hundreds of indie games we serve. Everyone wins.”
VanillaDirect is InComm’s proprietary suite of cash-based payment solutions, and VanillaDirect Pay is the latest solution launched under its banner enabling consumers to digitize cash at retail such as GameStop.
