The subscription model is the most established revenue model for massive multiplayer games. There are billions of consumers worldwide currently paying for online games through subscriptions. Up to now, the subscription model has been the best fit for games developers and their target audience, however many gamers are looking to new payment models and other ways to generate revenue while also enabling their consumers to purchase virtual goods and upgrade their experience. In the long run, the goal is to build a viable business that creates the best possible experience for online gamers.

 Games Developers and publishers are beginning to realise the potential that in-game payments can provide in expanding the market to include the monetisation of casual gamers and the extension of games lifecycles through additions of new stages, lives, ammunition etc. Other games developers may choose to reward players with items and status for performing activities such as playing games or working in various jobs in the virtual world (such as role-playing for example). Players progress through various levels of increasing difficulty in order to obtain virtual items (apparel, accessories, hairstyles, etc.) and status in the community. These initiatives require middleware platforms and services not central to the game development process.

Games companies (publishers and studios) need a way to provide both the real/external and in-game payment capabilities which will enable them to monetise their game assets and support in-game economies. In-game commerce includes the following key elements: services and infrastructure to manage stored value accounts of both real and virtual currency; Loyalty systems allowing the awarding of points/currency based on game defined rules; Subscription services which support charging for game subscriptions; and Settlement with third party developers and studios. In-game commerce also supports use of accounts to transfer between players and the central gaming service and supports Player to Player transfers of both real and virtual currency.

Beyond the benefits for game developers, the in-game commerce environment also provides advantages to the end-users.  It provides increased functionality, an outlet for self-expression, allowing them to personalize their spaces, etc, and a means for communication.  These advantages can be utilized to maximise the monetisation potential of in-game charging.

In-game purchases and in game economies are an important future pricing model for the industry enabling recurring revenue and expanded customer bases. Popular throughout Asia, free-to-play is a business model in which gamers have little or no up-front cost to play but instead pay charges for in-game digital goods and assets such as access to special features and levels or clothes for an avatar for example. In the coming years, revenue from advertising and digital distribution/virtual items is expected to equal revenue from subscriptions, currently the dominant pricing model in the western world.