How do game industry executives look back at 2025 and what do they think about 2026? We spoke to Chris Hewish, President at Xsolla, to find out.
GamesMarkt: What is your verdict as you look back on 2025?
Chris Hewish: "Looking back on 2025, the year felt like a decisive step forward in proving that game commerce can, and should, be more developer-driven, more global, and far more player-centric than it’s been in the past. At Xsolla, we delivered meaningful upgrades across our ecosystem: Web Shop became a serious revenue engine for studios of all sizes; our expanded payments network brought local methods and flexible options to regions where players have historically been underserved; and our cloud gaming and publishing tools matured into practical, monetizable pathways rather than experiments.
However, we're aware of where the industry is headed: competition is tightening, user acquisition costs are rising, and the margin for error in player experience is shrinking. We’ve seen those pressures firsthand through infrastructure demands, regulatory complexity, and the need to respond faster and more transparently to player support issues.
Overall, 2025 reaffirmed our conviction that helping developers build sustainable, direct relationships with their players is the most impactful work we can do. The foundation is stronger than ever; now the focus is on refining, scaling, and keeping our partners firmly ahead of where the market is going next."
GamesMarkt: What are your predictions for the gaming industry in 2026?
Chris Hewish: "In 2026, gaming will evolve into a fully connected entertainment ecosystem led by mobile. Once a companion experience, mobile will become the central hub, driving transmedia franchises that blend games, film, music, and social media. As 5G, cloud gaming, and AI personalization mature, mobile platforms will rival consoles in both performance and cultural impact.
Community, creativity, and technological innovation will remain vital, while the importance of platform exclusivity and one-time purchases will fade. Developers will gain more direct access to players thanks to evolving regulations and simplified monetization, enabling richer, more meaningful experiences. In short, gaming in 2026 won’t just entertain, it will unite industries and redefine how stories are told."
GamesMarkt: How is Xsolla positioned for 2026?
Chris Hewish: "We'll enter 2026 in a stronger, more globally integrated, and more strategically focused position than at any point in the past decade. Over the past year, we expanded our payments footprint with dozens of localized and alternative payment methods, which puts us in an ideal position as regional preferences, and regulations, continue to fragment the global payments landscape. Our infrastructure is already tuned for this shift.
On the developer side, the Xsolla web shop, loyalty systems, cross-platform commerce, and publishing tools have matured into a comprehensive D2C ecosystem. This is particularly important because 2026 will be the year studios double down on owning their player relationships as acquisition costs rise and platform policies tighten. We're ready for that shift with solutions that help developers build sustainable, first-party funnels, increase LTV, and diversify revenue streams beyond the app stores.
In short, we're heading into 2026 with a clear advantage: global payments depth, a robust D2C commerce toolkit, and the operational readiness to help studios navigate a more regulated, more competitive, and increasingly player-driven market by providing them with all the things they need to be successful."
Xsolla is a global video game commerce company offering a set of tools and services designed specifically for the video game industry. Since its foundation in 2005, Xsolla has helped thousands of developers and publishers of all sizes to fund, market, launch and monetise their games globally and across multiple platforms. Xsolla is headquartered in Los Angeles, California, and has offices in Berlin, Seoul and other cities around the world. It supports major gaming titles such as those from Valve, Twitch, Roblox, Ubisoft, Epic Games, Take-Two, Krafton, Nexters, NetEase, Playstudios, Playrix and miHoYo.
