playspan

Report: Women driving virtual good sales

Set to be released later today, the latest Digital Goods Spending Report by analyst firm VG Market and in-game monetization provider Playspan, shows that the burgeoning market for virtual goods is still just scratching the surface of the enormous opportunity ahead.

July's report reveals that 75 percent of the respondents (a sample size of 2,221 respondents was polled) have used real-world money to pay for virtual goods, and that roughly half expect to continue to spend about the same amount of real-world cash over the next 12 months.

Additionally, women over the age of 25 are stepping up … Read more

Virtual-goods resellers on the rise

Gamers are not just making purchases to enhance their gaming experience but also selling virtual assets to other players, according to new research from video game market research firm VGMarket.

Sales of virtual goods are expected to reach $1 billion this year and already generate near $4 billion annually in China. But there are some challenges, primarily the fact that once you convert your real money to virtual cash you can't readily get the dough back out.

The research revealed that in-game currency is the most frequently sold digital good from player to player and that two out of three sellers sold in-game currency in the last 12 months, earning a median of $22. PlaySpan, a provider of monetization and payment solutions for games and virtual worlds and sponsor of the research, considers that to be good news as its platform enables game developers to provide player to player marketplaces for their players. In addition, the PlaySpan Marketplace currently provides a secondary market for IMVU players to buy and sell goods as well.

One out of two sellers made a sale in a social network game over the last 12 months and earned a median of $50, while one out of four sellers made a sale in a free-to-play game over the last 12 months, with their median earning being $98, or nearly double that on social networks.

Eric Hartness, chief marketing officer at PlaySpan, told me that the secondary market is a boon for games, adding value, real and perceived, to all players by associating a real world dollar value on their playing time, game accounts, and digital items. … Read more

Report: Virtual currency No. 1 digital goods purchase

New research from video game market research firm VGMarket sponsored by Playspan reveals that gamers are actively making purchases to enhance their gaming experience, with free-to-play games leading the way to monetization. Playspan is a provider of monetization and payment solutions for games and virtual worlds.

Three out of four virtual goods buyers purchased in-game currency in the last 12 months and spent approximately $50 each. This statistic is interesting to me as I am always surprised when users buy in to currency that only works on one site. But, I suppose if it's the only option then you will eventually give in.

Of further interest in the report is the fact that free-to-play games may actually be monetizing better than MMOs (massive multiplayer online games) and social networks.

58 percent made purchases in free-to-play (F2P) games over the last 12 months. 34 percent made purchases in MMOs. 23 percent made purchases in social network games. The average respondent is currently playing three online games and 80 percent report buying digital goods for their own use while 20 percent said they purchase for gifts.

Study: More than 1 in 10 Americans buys virtual goods

New survey data from research firm Magid and Associates and PlaySpan shows that virtual goods sales are growing dramatically with more than 1 in 10 Americans spending real money on purchases in the last year.

According to the study, "12% of the overall population surveyed reported that they had bought virtual goods in the last 12 months. However, a closer look at the digital entertainment habits of virtual goods buyers reveals that virtual world visitors are the heaviest virtual goods buyers, with 46% of these consumers buying virtual goods (from virtual worlds, games or social networks) and nearly one … Read more

PlaySpan lands $16.8 million in funding

PlaySpan, a company that specializes in digital microtransactions and payment services, announced on Tuesday that it raised $16.8 million in Series B funding from Easton Capital Group, Menlo Ventures, Novel TMT Ventures, STIC Investments, and other undisclosed investors.

According to the company, the new funding will be used to expand its operation into Europe and Asia, which company executives believe are untapped markets that offer growth potential for PlaySpan.

"Online-game publishers and social-media application developers are looking for new sources of revenue beyond traditional advertising and subscriptions," Karl Mehta, founder and CEO of PlaySpan, said in a … Read more