Video game commerce company Xsolla and credit payment giant Mastercard are set to partner in a collaboration producing solutions and services that streamline payment and improve user experience.

Their “First-step” allows Mastercard users to redeem loyalty points for in-game purchases with this use of “Pay with Points” integrated into Xsolla’s Pay Station product. It will also include protection for parents against children making unauthorised purchases.

Executive Vice President of Fintech Solutions at Mastercard, Blake Rosenthal was clear about the intent of the partnership. "Mastercard has been a strong supporter of the gaming community for many years – we look forward to further enabling cardholders to tap into their passions through this new partnership with Xsolla and shape the future of commerce in gaming."

Xsolla has made a multiple moves to smoothe and streamline the payment process. For the obvious benefit to them of increasing their customer base. This includes integration of AliPay support into their services during their expansion into Asia, which is a widely used payment service that many use in place of traditional bank accounts. The partnership also indicates further interest from traditional financial institutions in games and game revenue.

Big money

Given the volume of video game revenue, especially in mobile games, the partnership comes as no surprise. However, it also follows a rash of other announcements in the past few days which indicate that Xsolla has big plans for 2023. With many declaring that after a slow year for 2022, the intent is for 2023 to set the standard via big changes in the mobile market. Although unlikely to be a year of explosive growth, investor optimism is on the up.

Chief Marketing Officer at Xsolla, Berkley Egenes was positive about the new collaboration. "The partnership with Mastercard is a testament to our commitment to continuously innovate for the benefit of developers and all players around the world," he commented. "By combining Xsolla’s Payments Solution with Mastercard's loyalty capabilities, cyber solutions and card and account-based payments technology, we can create new avenues for revenue creation and increased lifetime value for developers.”