Digital commerce technology firm Valista has launched a new product, for which it's taking a 'does what it says on the tin' approach and calling In-Game Commerce Solution.

It essentially lets developers and publishers use micropayments within their games, whether they're selling digital assets (items, levels etc) or digital rights.

"In-game purchases and in-game economies are an important pricing model for the gaming industry," says Valista chief technology officer Fran Heeran. "In-game purchases enable recurring revenue and expand the customer base to include casual gamers."

The new In-Game Commerce Solution uses Valista's existing ValistaPlus payment platform, which allows payments using credit and debit cards, but also direct-to-bill charging.

The press release announcing the news doesn't specify mobile (in fact, it mentions social networks and virtual worlds), but Valista's background includes working in the mobile industry as well as online, so we would assume there'll be some kind of mobile element.

However, introducing micro-payments into mobile games isn't just about the technology. There may be business obstacles for developers and publishers taking this approach, especially if they're aiming to distribute their games through operator portals – still the biggest channel by far for mobile games.