Younger gamers’ habits are shifting beyond obvious factors like payment methods and transaction frequency; the entire company environment and its strategies are also evolving. By understanding Gen Z’s payment habits, and how Millennials impacted them, companies can align their monetisation strategies with the preferences and constraints of younger gamers and resolve an existential question for the gaming industry – balancing profitability and player satisfaction.
Realistically, gaming companies need to rethink everything, including the traditional approaches to product design, marketing, customer engagement, payment flows, etc. By integrating the insights of younger gamers’ payment behaviours, a company can drive revenue and foster long-term loyalty and brand advocacy. The focus should be on innovations in the payment system (seamless, flexible, diverse payment options), and transparent practices, meaning clear communication about the product and everything related to payment processes.
It might be too early to discuss Open Banking payments’ impact, as adoption is quite slow, although existent. We have seen the potential and interest from gaming companies thanks to its benefits: instant payments with no delay, removed friction, simplified payment flows, and lower cost and risk due to the absence of chargebacks.
Multiple factors including regulatory barriers, security concerns, consumer trust issues, legacy infrastructure, and resistance from traditional financial institutions hinder the adoption of Open Banking. While the potential is enormous, overcoming these barriers requires time, investment, education, and global coordination across all stakeholders. As the regulatory landscape matures and consumers become more familiar with its benefits, adoption rates will likely increase. However, it will remain a gradual process in many industries.
The gaming industry’s ambivalent nature – both eager to embrace new technologies and resistant to change in certain aspects –, highlights a tension between tradition and innovation. While gaming companies are increasingly open to adopting new payment technologies, they remain cautious and often slow to fully integrate disruptive innovations. The key to moving forward is balancing adopting and adapting new trends.
Change has been accelerating in recent years, likely driven by younger, more technologically savvy generations taking up a larger share of the global landscape across various sectors. Despite this, the transformation is expected to remain gradual, with innovations introduced incrementally, rather than through abrupt shifts.
This editorial piece was first published in The Paypers' Global Ecommerce Report 2025, which provides a complete overview of key trends and strategies to help businesses worldwide succeed. Download your free copy today to explore in-depth insights on global ecommerce trends, the latest innovations in payment solutions, and strategies to stay ahead in a competitive market.
Elena Emelyanova is a Senior Payments & Fraud Manager Lead at Wargaming. She specialises in ecommerce acquiring and fraud protection globally, having a strong understanding of various markets throughout Europe, North and South America, and Asia. Elena helps Wargaming optimise alternative and card payment flows globally, while also maintaining a low level of fraud.
Wargaming is an award-winning online game developer and publisher headquartered in Nicosia, Cyprus. Operating since 1998, Wargaming has grown to become one of the leaders in the gaming industry with 3,000 employees and 16 offices spread all over the world. Millions of players enjoy Wargaming's titles across all major gaming platforms. Our flagship products include the free-to-play hits World of Tanks and World of Warships, as well as World of Tanks Blitz — the critically acclaimed mobile tank shooter with cross-platform support.
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