Partner Content, presented by Xsolla
During GB Live 2025, a broadcast from Gamescom in Cologne, Xsolla President Chris Hewish joined GamesBeat’s Dean Takahashi to walk through Xsolla’s biggest platform update yet. Marking its 20th anniversary, Xsolla is expanding its tools to help game developers navigate a tough market, rising acquisition costs, regional complexity, and platform restrictions are bigger challenges than ever.
“This isn’t just about adding features,” Hewish said. “It’s about giving developers real ownership of their player relationships and their revenue.”
Breaking past the app stores
The headline feature: a modular SDK suite for Unity, Windows, and Epic. These drop-in tools let developers integrate payments, subscriptions, and direct-to-consumer Web Shops straight into their games.
“Developers shouldn’t have to choose between reach and control,” Hewish explained. “With our SDKs, you can build consistent commerce flows across mobile, web, and PC—and you still own the player.”
The Unity SDK supports Apple Pay, Google Pay, and over 1,000 local methods, while Windows and Epic SDKs handle synchronized SKUs, dual billing, and localized checkouts. There’s even a Discord Bot to turn community servers into monetization channels.
For studios that don’t want to build their own backend, Xsolla’s Publishing Suite delivers a turnkey direct-to-consumer platform with loyalty tools, progressive downloads, and keyless Epic delivery.
Going global with payments
One of Xsolla’s biggest pushes this year is regional payment support.
“Players are more likely to pay when they can use the methods they already trust,” Hewish said.
The company has added UPI and Net Banking in India, ShopeePay in Southeast Asia, and Bizum in Spain, alongside integrations like Mercado Pago in Brazil and Pay by Bank in the U.S. India’s relaunch alone opens secure QR-based payments to more than 500 million mobile gamers.
“These are native-language, mobile-first experiences,” he explained. “It’s about removing every bit of friction between the player and your game.
Monetization tools that do more
Beyond payments, Xsolla is rolling out growth and LiveOps tools designed to help developers scale without massive engineering teams.
- Offerwall engages non-paying users with tasks and surveys, boosting retention up to 7x and conversions up to 14x.
- Developer Incentive Program provides revenue-based rewards for studios using Web Shops and Offerwalls together.
- LiveOps Management Suite offers a no-code dashboard for real-time campaigns, segmented updates, and automated triggers.
- Payment Facilitator solution (via Adyen) lets larger studios act as their own Merchant of Record for taxes, compliance, and reporting.
On the player side, Metasites deliver instant browser-based 3D hubs with social features and payments, while Cloud Gaming Trials let players demo a game for 15 minutes—no download required.
“Everything we’re building is about giving developers levers they can actually pull,” Hewish said.
Why this matters now
Takahashi pointed out that the industry is growing—up 9% this year—but the economics are shifting. Acquisition costs are high. Platform restrictions still bite. And consolidation is forcing studios to rethink how they connect with players.
“Direct monetization is driving that growth,” Hewish said. “When developers use tools like Web Shops, SDKs, and localized payments, they reduce fees, keep margins, and capture more value.”
He also sees cloud gaming and instant trials compressing the funnel between discovery and monetization. “The faster you can get players into your game, the faster you can build a real relationship,” he said.
Looking ahead: independence over consolidation
As major publishers tighten their ecosystems, Xsolla is betting on developer independence. Its modular approach means teams can take only the tools they need—whether that’s payments, LiveOps, or full publishing infrastructure.
“When you own your players and your monetization flow, you’re not at the mercy of anyone else’s platform decisions,” Hewish said. “That’s what we’re here to protect.”
The bottom line: Xsolla’s 20th anniversary update isn’t just a feature drop—it’s a roadmap for studios that want to stay in control. From SDKs and payments to cloud trials and no-code LiveOps, the company is positioning itself as the go-to partner for developers who want to build global, sustainable game businesses.
Watch the exclusive broadcast here, on GamesBeat.
GB LIVE is GamesBeat’s coverage of industry events in tech, AI, entertainment, and gaming — featuring exclusive footage either streamed live or filmed on-site and then aired at a scheduled time. Whether broadcasted in real time or released later, GB LIVE delivers high-impact conversations, insights, and thought leadership from the forefront of innovation. Content is streamed across GamesBeat and social channels, then also made available on demand as part of post-event coverage.
Select GB LIVE segments may be produced in collaboration with sponsors and are labeled as partner content. To learn more or to explore partnership opportunities, reach out to partnerships@gamesbeat.com.