30% of your revenue could be coming from a web shop, and you wouldn’t even see it in your external IAP dashboards.

In this exclusive episode of 2.5 Gamers, we sit down with David Stelzer, President of Xsolla (formerly Epic Games, SEGA, CAA), to discuss how top-grossing games are ditching App Store dependency and scaling through direct-to-consumer (D2C) models.

This isn’t theoretical.

📈 The top mobile publishers using Xsolla’s stack are pulling 25–30% of their total revenue through off-store web shops — with 50% less in fees than Apple or Google.

Get our MERCH NOW: 25gamers.com/shop

💥 What You’ll Learn:

Why web shops are the future of mobile monetization

The battle pass + subscription combo every midcore game should explore

How AI is reshaping LiveOps, A/B testing & offer personalization

Why casual games are struggling and how offerwalls may be the solution

How to launch a localized, conversion-optimized web shop in minutes

The right UA mindset for 2025 (hint: it’s not CPI chasing anymore)

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🔗 Want more revenue, more retention, and more control?

Xsolla’s Instant Web Shop might be your best-kept growth secret.

www.xsolla.com

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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: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Felix Braberg, Matej Lancaric⁠

Special Guest: David Stelzer

https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidstelzer/

Youtube: https://youtu.be/Ab6muq76UGo

Join our slack channel here: https://join.slack.com/t/two-and-half-gamers/shared_invite/zt-2um8eguhf-c~H9idcxM271mnPzdWbipg

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Exola and David Stelzer

03:16 Evolution of the Gaming Industry

06:30 Monetization Strategies for Game Developers

10:27 Direct-to-Consumer Sales and Web Shops

12:51 Trends in Mobile Gaming and IAPs

15:01 Challenges for Casual Games in Monetization

17:24 The Role of Subscriptions and Battle Passes

20:00 Expanding into APAC and LATAM Markets

22:53 Localization and Compliance in Global Sales

25:04 The Impact of 5G and Cloud Gaming

26:27 The Rise of AI in Gaming

27:56 AI's Role in Game Development and Monetization

28:27 Data-Driven Decision Making in Game Studios

30:22 Building Effective Web Shops for Games

32:37 Optimizing Web Shops for Better Revenue

34:26 Leveraging AI for Enhanced User Experience

36:37 Understanding Player Behavior for Monetization

38:06 Actionable Strategies for 2025

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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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Please share feedback and comments - [email protected]

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If you are interested in getting UA tips every week on Monday, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠lancaric.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & sign up for the Brutally Honest newsletter by Matej Lancaric

Latest article - https://open.substack.com/pub/lancaric/p/match-3d-ua-playbook-real-data-inside?r=7qqaf&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Do you have UA questions nobody can answer? Ask ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matej AI⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - the First UA AI in the gaming industry! https://lancaric.me/matej-ai