Appcharge: Putting Power Back in the Hands of Game Developers

Over the decade and a half that IVP has been investing in games (Dream Games, Supercell, Discord, Niantic, Zynga), developers have had to pay significant platform fees first to Facebook, and now Apple or Google, who have controlled every cent of in-game payments through their app stores, which is about $150 billion annually. This flat 30% commission on all transactions (not-so-affectionately called a “tax,” by game developers) has been a non-negotiable for almost two decades - that is, until very recently.

A landmark U.S. District Court ruling against Apple immediately forced the tech giant to allow developers to integrate alternative payment methods directly into their apps, without redirecting users or paying additional penalties. (Shout out to Tim Sweeney!)

Alternative payments have been kicked open, with in-game payments emerging as a revenue-generating channel. That’s why IVP is leading the $58M Series B funding for Appcharge, a seamless first-party payments platform built by industry veterans for gamers and game developers.

A founding team with gaming DNA

UX is a highly refined science for gaming publishers. A single click can lose a dependable user or cost publishers millions in lost revenue. A first-party payments solution that merely complies with new rules and leverages duopoly-shaking court decisions isn’t enough—it must also remove friction for users and present like it’s still part of the app.

As we spoke with game publishers rethinking their payments infrastructure to address this nuanced reality, one name kept coming up: Appcharge. Appcharge’s platform saves games companies tens or even hundreds of millions in app store fees, while helping them generate additional revenue with a suite of enhanced personalization, monetization, retention and community features.

Appcharge’s co-founders, Maor Sason (CEO) and Roei Barassi (GM) know this opportunity deeply because they come from gaming.

Maor is a second-time founder whose first venture, Appush (acquired in 2020), shipped adtech connecting brands and game developers. Roei led payments in-house for Moon Active, one of the world’s largest mobile gaming companies.

Our first conversation turned from a 30-minute meet-and-greet into a two-hour deep dive. We were so blown away by the co-founders that we flew to Tel Aviv to speak face-to-face and meet their full team in person. We returned as Appcharge believers.

Right time, right place, right tech

Appcharge is on a path to becoming the engine underpinning the massive shift from third-party payments (via Apple and Google) to first-party payments that will happen over the next decade —a core piece of infrastructure enabling game devs and publishers to finally own their relationships with and monetize their users.

Appcharge has quickly won over some of the world’s largest and most impressive gaming publishers and studios, including Huuuge Games, Product Madness, Tripledot and Candivore. IVP’s conversations with their customers made it clear: Appcharge’s customers see them as critical partners rather than third-party vendors—a rarity in mobile gaming where trust is hard-earned and easily lost.

With regulatory tailwinds and fresh funding, Appcharge is expanding beyond gaming to bring seamless, first-party payments infrastructure to all consumer apps. Appcharge’s wedge is powerful: redefining how publishers acquire users, own customer relationships, generate revenue through new channels, and capture more value from every transaction. As investors and gamers, we’re bought in and amped for the future. Game on.