Newzoo, the global data firm for videogame industry sales has collaborated with Tebex, a monetization platform that videogame studios use for in-game purchases to publish a report that dives into player spending in North America and Europe.
The Unlocking Games Revenue: Player Behavior and Payment Trends in the West report has more than a few interesting revelations about player spending in North America and Europe, like how players in those two regions are the minority of the world's gamers but drive nearly half of all spending in the videogame industry.
But the videogame industry is not what it was 20 years ago, where spending trends would be mostly based on players buying individual games. Microtransactions are the name of today's game in the modern videogame landscape, and there are some interesting differences between North American players spending on microtransactions versus European players.
At a top-level look, players in Europe spend on microtransactions than players in North America, with sports games being the top genre in Europe, while shooters are the top genre in North America. "Microtransactions make up nearly half of PC and one-third of console gam revenues in Europe," according to Newzoo and Tebex.
In both North America and in Europe, however, consoles are the only platforms where premium game purchases still account for over 50% of player spending.
But when it comes to why players are spending their hard-earned cash, the reason for hitting the 'buy now' button is very different for players in North America and players in Europe. 28% of European players, according to Newzoo and Tebex, will choose to spend their money in the videogame industry if something is on sale or at what they deem to be a 'good price.' Whereas North American players top reason for buying anything is so that it gives them access to extra or exclusive playable content.
Buying something because it's on sale is the fifth of the top-five reasons listed for North America.
As far as what microtransactions players are buying in North America and Europe, however, those lists are much closer. Four out of the top five categories of in-game microtransaction purchases are the same between North American and European players, with players in both regions prioritizing expansions, power-ups, in-game currencies, and in-game subscriptions.
Loot boxes or gacha, as they're listed by Newzoo and Tebex, are at the bottom of the list for both North America and Europe, but that feels at least slightly misleading, since it seemingly means loot boxes purchased directly with real money, rather than a player buying an in-game currency to then spend on loot boxes.
For all the new statistics and bits of information shared in Newzoo and Tebex's report, one element that isn't news to anyone is, to the chagrin of some players, microtransactions and virtual currencies are not going anywhere, anytime soon.
"Virtual currencies and microtransactions are no longer just revenue streams," writes Liam Wiltshire, head of payments and compliance at Tebex. "They're becoming strategic levers for retention and differentiation."
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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