Virtual goods aren't something social gaming technology company Scoreloop has spoken about much. Up to this point, it's been focused on rolling out onto new mobile platforms.

But with iPhone, Android, bada, Symbian, Brew and Windows Mobile now covered off, it's starting to highlight the opportunities available using its Coins system.

"There are over 20 million virtual coins being used across Scoreloop-enabled games," says CEO Marc Gumpinger.

"The additional revenue streams available through this, not to mention the increased social discovery, are why so many developers are now integrating our SDK."

A fair exchange

The Scoreloop system brings in-app purchases to the next level.

Rather than buying new content outright, gamers are encouraged to interact with their friends to earn virtual currency.

This can then be used to unlock virtual goods or send gifts to their friends, using the well-known dual currency already employed in games like FarmVille.

Additional revenues from coin purchases are split between the game developers and Scoreloop. As the infrastructure is available free of charge, developers share a part of their upside without any downside.

More play, more pay

Gumpinger says this mechanic not only makes games more fun, it generates more money both for ad-supported and freemium games too.

"What's interesting is we see that gamers are four times more likely to buy the most expensive coin pack than the cheapest," he reveals.

"It's a great way of using increased engagement and activity with your players to drive revenue. It's that simple."

Indeed, Scoreloop's research reveals 78 percent of its active players are downloading additional virtual goods, underlining the fast growing potential of this new revenue stream for mobile games.

Scoreloop is the first to bring the virtual goods model that's already proved to be successful in Facebook games to game developers in the mobile space - across platforms. The company also reveals it's currently closing larger publishers who are looking to use Scoreloop for their portfolio of titles major mobile platforms.

"We’re the only company that offers virtual goods and currency management to integrate across mobile platforms. In such a fast market it doesn’t count what you'll have some day - it counts what you can deliver now," Gumpinger states. 

"It turns out that using Scoreloop provides the decisive competitive advantage right now."

Scoreloop's cross-platform social gaming SDK is freely available via its website.