two & a half gamers 💵 Your competitors are mediating D2C payments for more margin. Are You? Use this hack!
Chip Thurston, Head of Gaming at FastSpring, returns to Two and a Half Gamers with explosive updates on the Apple and Google rulings that are blowing open the direct-to-consumer (D2C) floodgates. Since Apple’s April ruling unlocked steering — legally directing players from your game to an off-platform payment page — publishers have shifted millions in revenue from Apple and Google to their own web shops, keeping the 30% cut and boosting player value.
Key insights from the episode:
Steering Levels: From conservative in-game banners to aggressive side-by-side pricing and direct-to-checkout flows, publishers are experimenting with how far they can push players to web shops.
Impact Numbers: Playtika reports 25% of revenue now comes from D2C, equating to $667M/year not tracked by Sensor Tower or AppMagic.
Friction Is Dead: New checkout flows get players from game to web payment and back in under 10 seconds.
Global Domino Effect: US first, Japan’s ruling hits Dec 18, 2025, with Brazil, Spain, and Korea exploring similar laws.
Google Twist: Upcoming ruling could allow in-app third-party payments, not just web-based — potentially game-changing.
Why Not Everyone Jumps: 43% of studios still have no web shop — mostly due to fear of Apple/Google retaliation (with zero confirmed cases).
Optimization Endgame: Big publishers now mediate between multiple payment providers, routing by region, payment method, or even pricing for maximum margin.
Bottom line: The payments landscape is shifting fast. Studios that delay web shop adoption are literally leaving money on the table — and their competitors are scooping it up
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For an ever-growing number of game developers, this means that now is the perfect time to invest in monetizing direct-to-consumer at scale.
Our sponsor FastSpring:
Has delivered D2C at scale for over 20 years
They power top mobile publishers around the world
Launch a new webstore, replace an existing D2C vendor, or add a redundant D2C vendor at fastspring.gg.
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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: Jakub Remiar, Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric
Special guest: Chip Thurston
https://www.linkedin.com/in/thurstonchip/
Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipg
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Context of Payment Rulings
04:18 Shifts in Payment Strategies Post-Ruling
07:05 Exploring Steering Techniques in Mobile Games
09:39 Direct-to-Consumer Revenue Insights
12:35 Examples of Successful Web Store Implementations
15:25 Incentivizing Players to Use Web Stores
18:27 The Impact of Unaccounted Revenue
21:12 Future of Payment Regulations Globally
23:58 The Role of Multiple Payment Providers
26:47 The Evolution of Direct-to-Consumer Strategies
29:38 Anticipating Future Rulings and Changes
32:12 Conclusion and Future Outlook
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Matej Lancaric
User Acquisition & Creatives Consultant
https://lancaric.me
Felix Braberg
Ad monetization consultant
https://www.felixbraberg.com
Jakub Remiar
Game design consultant
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakubremiar
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