News
How the Rise of In-App Purchases is Influencing the Mobile Gaming Industry?

The gaming industry captured the minds of users during 2000s, and now it generates large profits – almost $138 billion in 2018. Developers and operators must be happy about the industry showing growth in revenue of 13.3% compared to 2017.
Following the trend, the mobile gaming market is performing even better. The 25.5% growth means that this sector generates more than a half of a total income (51%). Console and PC segments are nearly equal, having 25% and 24% respectively. There are a number of reasons for mobile games blooming, including in-app purchases.
The freemium spirit
In general, in-app purchases stand for the ability of mobile applications to sell products or services, either virtual or real. Developers invented different approaches to integrating them using various types of apps, features, and interfaces. For instance, there are branded catalogs which sell goods through applications. But in-app purchases are way more typical for free-to-play games.
There is a freemium model of games. Combining features of both free and premium projects, these are completely free downloadable applications with integrated purchases. Owing to this approach, developers earn money with smaller deals inside the app instead of one-time payments. Some of the freemium apps offer simple ads disablement, while others provide unique in-game content. Gambling apps also follow this trend – they offer additional features for money, as well as provide different bonuses for such purchases listed on CasinoBonusCheck.com.
Evolution of mobile games
Now, let’s focus on the influence of freemium games growing in popularity. Experts from Scientific Revenue claim that developers move towards commercial sophistication. This trend is typical for projects that rely on micropayments.
To understand how freemium models affect mobile gaming, remember that they change the focus, moving sales from websites or online retailers like Amazon to games themselves. This way, developers can control the process, providing various offers with flexible prices, sales, and promotions.
Here are some of the current trends of the gaming industry:
- Multiple points of sale. While premium games are sold on app markets, freemium products can use coins stores, popups with offers, and ubiquitous ads.
- Various in-game offers. There may be unique daily or weekly sales, additional content, in-game currency, and so on.
- Annuities. These are unique offers, valid during a certain period.
- Live Operations. Thanks to in-app purchases, developers can focus on adding new stuff even after the game was launched. They include downloadable content and special promotions dedicated to specific events or major updates.
As small payments are really flexible, developers can easily modify them, trying to reach the maximum engagement. Analysts evaluate the efficiency of in-game content sales and decide whether it’s better to add advertisements or focus on unique offers.
Consequences of the freemium rise
So far as it’s clearer how in-app purchases set trends, we can think about positive and negative consequences. Note that there is no agreement among experts regarding this.
The good side
Ideal freemium games sell cosmetic changes only. Another approach features different types of content but includes an option to unlock them without paying real money. For example, Temple Run offers various enhancements which are available without extra expenses.
Decent freemium projects should focus on improving players’ experience by introducing new content. This is more typical for PC and console games where users can buy new visual styles for characters, unlock extra items and locations.
Free-to-download projects attract way more users who realize that they can easily dive into the game. Also, game providers can focus on improving the single product by implementing Live Operations rather than designing numerous sequels.
The bad side
The modern world is strongly focused on money. That’s why the majority of freemium games turn into pay-to-win or pay-to-play projects:
- Pay-to-win. Players can buy in-game stuff to become more powerful and beat opponents.
- Pay-to-play. Players can evade time limits and prolong the game process with in-app purchases.
In pursuit of revenue, developers focus less on improving the game itself. Many freemium projects create nothing new, simply offering benefits for premium players. This leads to users realizing they can simply pay and win instead of improving skills or building strategies, which kills the thrill of gaming.
The majority of mobile projects push pay-to-play or pay-to-win styles because it’s profitable now: Clash of Clans or Fruit Pop, just to name a few. It’s much worse for the industry when well-thought series like Dungeon Hunter follow such trends.
Future of in-app purchases
Freemium model works well for game developers as it allows expanding the audience thanks to free downloads and earning more money thanks to engagement strategies. Gamers are free to try different products and decide whether they deserve further investments.
It seems clear that mobile games will expand, generating more revenues compared to PC and console sectors. In-app purchases will definitely grow in popularity as well. Probably, companies will find new ways of implementing this feature, somehow different from pay-to-win and pay-to-play options. Eventually, it all depends on end users as they create the demand.
News
Vote now for N1 Partners in two EiGE Awards 2025 nominations!

The N1 Partners affiliate program is making headlines again with new nominations! This time, the team has been shortlisted among the brightest stars of the European iGaming industry for the European iGaming Excellence Awards (EiGE Awards 2025).
The award ceremony will take place on October 30 in the heart of Warsaw, bringing together the most influential players in the iGaming market – operators, affiliate programs, payment providers, and trailblazing tech innovators.
Gambling affiliate program N1 Partners is nominated in two top categories:
- Best iGaming Affiliate Program
- iGaming Leader of the Year (individual)
How to vote for N1 Partners in both categories (it will take no more than a minute):
- Go to: https://hipther.com/events/egc/eige-awards/
- Select the “Best iGaming Affiliate Program category” → click “Continue to vote”.
- Choose N1 Partners from the list → enter your personal details → click “Vote”.
- Return to the awards page → select “iGaming Leader of the Year (individual)” → click “Continue to vote”.
- Select Alexa Bond, Head of Affiliates at N1 Partners from the list → enter your details → click “Vote”.
Online voting is open until August 26.
Why N1 Partners?
- 12+ high-converting brands
- 10+ Tier-1 GEOs
- Flexible payment method CPA | RevShare I Hybrid
- Insights from in-house analysts
- Benefit from top offers
- 24/7 support
Support N1 Partners and Head of Affiliate Alexa Bond with your vote – who knows, your vote might make all the difference!
News
N1 Puzzle Promo: Complete Challenges, Earn Puzzles, and Get a Chance to Win a VR Pilot Course!

The N1 Puzzle Promo from N1 Partners affiliate program is picking up pace — and the competition for the main prize, a real helicopter Robinson R22 Beta II, is getting serious.
One of the best casino affiliate programs N1 has launched a special activity for participants, offering a chance to earn extra puzzle pieces and try their luck in a draw for awesome prizes! Simple as that.
Campaign period: August 15 – November 15, 2025.
All the details are below.
To earn additional puzzle pieces and improve your position on the leaderboard, you need to complete the following challenges:
- Be a registered participant of the N1 Puzzle Promo and have minimum one puzzle piece already earned for traffic
- Post positive reviews about your cooperation with N1 Partners on 4 websites: Business of Apps, Affpaying, CPA.Club, and Trustpilot (direct links to N1 Partners profiles below):
- https://www.businessofapps.com/affiliate/n1-partners/
- https://www.affpaying.com/n1partners
- https://cpa.club/en/companies/n1-partners
- https://www.trustpilot.com/review/n1.partners
- Subscribe to N1 Partners’ social media:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/n1_partners
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/n1partners/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/n1partners
- Take part in the N1 Partners survey
Here come the rewards.
In addition to three extra puzzle pieces for the main leaderboard, all participants will enter a giveaway for a home VR flight training set — the “Pilot Course”.
What’s inside the set?
- Meta Quest 3 (128 GB)
- Licensed VR simulator
- PC-compatible cable
Find more details about the special tasks on our website at the following link: https://n1.partners/news-page/n1-puzzle-promo-challenge
N1 Puzzle Promo: More traffic → More puzzles → Closer to the winning!
Awards
ReferOn Earns Dual Nominations for Innovation and Marketing Excellence at SiGMA Euro-Med Awards 2025

The company continues its growth in 2025 with key industry recognition
ReferOn, a next-gen affiliate management platform has been shortlisted for the “Affiliate Product Innovation” and “Best Marketing Solution Provider” categories at the upcoming SiGMA Euro-Med Awards 2025.
These nominations come after an important year for the company, defined by strong market traction, continuous product development, and an increased demand from operators and affiliate managers looking to transition from outdated legacy platforms to a more agile, transparent, and scalable solution.
Since its launch, the ReferOn team has demonstrated its commitment to solving real problems for affiliate teams. At the core of its value propositions is creating a simple and accessible platform that’s built for modern needs. Core developments like full-cycle automation, customisable dashboards, instant postbacks, and real-time data visibility help to reduce chaos and boost performance. Additionally, tools like the Sub-Affiliate System, No Bundling Model, and dynamic variables assist with increased operational control.
Vlad Bondarenko, ReferOn’s Head of Product, commented on the nominations, “We didn’t build ReferOn to compete with legacy platforms — we built it to replace them. Every development, addition, and decision is guided by the goal of empowering our users to move faster, make more insightful decisions, and scale efficiently. These nominations have shown us that we’re moving in the right direction and that our incredible team is working towards something truly impactful.”
ReferOn’s roadmap remains ambitious and future-focused, with numerous investments in product developments, customer-facing services, and initiatives that help affiliate teams act faster and move smarter.
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