Appcharge, an Israeli company that wants to improve how mobile games reach players and make money, has raised $58 million in a Series B funding round. The round was led by U.S. venture firm IVP, with participation from Russian gaming giant Playrix and existing investors like Creandum, Play Ventures, Glilot Capital Partners, Smilegate Investment, Moneta Ventures, BITKRAFT Ventures, and Corundum.
With this new funding, the company’s total investment has reached $89 million.
This funding comes less than a year after Appcharge’s Series A round. The company now handles over $500 million in transactions each year—14 times more than last year—and supports direct sales for more than 100 mobile games.
Appcharge’s main idea is to promote the growing “direct-to-consumer” model for mobile game publishers. This trend has picked up speed due to recent court decisions and policy changes that have reduced app stores’ control over digital payments. In the past, Apple and Google charged up to 30% commission on in-app purchases.
“Publishers are increasingly moving to direct-to-consumer as a fundamentally stronger model,” said Maor Sason, Appcharge’s co-founder and chief executive. “We are at the forefront of this evolution, helping build the era beyond app stores – and even beyond web stores – for better economics for consumer apps and more options for customers.”
The company’s platform helps game publishers avoid those app store fees by selling through their own branded web stores with built-in payment options. Appcharge says its customers usually see profits grow by 35% and players stay engaged for longer.
The Series B funding comes after Appcharge launched two products to help publishers run smooth, scalable, and compliant direct-to-consumer businesses: an iOS Payments SDK and AppDirect, a service that simplifies payment processes.
Founded by CEO Maor Sason and General Manager Roei Barassi, Appcharge has about 94 employees, most based in Tel Aviv. The company says it now works with over one-third of the world’s top-earning mobile games.
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