Introducing Azure PlayFab Economy v2: The Ultimate Solution for Game Developers to Drive Engagement and Monetization with In-game Economies

As game creators we are constantly innovating to drive player engagement and retention. With the growing demand for in-game consumables and hard currencies, in-game economies have proven to be a powerful tool to increase engagement and delight players.

Microsoft and Xbox have seen first-hand the power of a thriving in-game economy, which is why we at PlayFab are excited to announce the General Availability of Azure PlayFab Economy v2. This set of services is designed to enhance player engagement, drive monetization, and enable user-generated content in games. Azure PlayFab Economy v2 has been designed to offer a powerful and intuitive experience, with features that are specifically tailored to build and manage their in-game economies.

The architecture of Economy v2 has been rebuilt on Azure from the ground up and game creators can adopt it with confidence as it has already been battle-tested for more than a year on Microsoft titles, including some of the biggest games in the industry, such as Minecraft, Sea of Thieves, and Flight Simulator. The suite of services can be trusted to deliver quality at scale supporting titles with hundreds of millions of active players, large progression systems with an unlimited sized catalog, and giant inventories (3,000+ items). And, Azure PlayFab Economy v2 is fully integrated with and designed with the same flexibility and extensibility that you would expect from other PlayFab services.

With Azure PlayFab Economy v2, developers can easily create and manage virtual currencies, items, and rewards for their games, and even set up complex economies with multiple currencies and exchange rates. They can also use the platform to create and manage in-game stores, offer discounts and promotions, and track player transactions in real-time.

Economy v2 also includes powerful Marketplace features, allowing integrates with many marketplaces, including Google Play, Apple, Microsoft/Xbox, PlayStation™, Nintendo, and Steam. With idempotent transactions, developers can maintain the integrity of all marketplace operations and prevent lost receipts and double redemption issues, linking items to multiple external marketplaces which simplifies Buy Once Play Anywhere (BOPA) scenarios.

The newly upgraded version of Catalog is designed to help developers manage all sizes of catalogs for a global audience with high performance. With the ability to store in-game item images and files alongside Catalog metadata, developers can customize in-game catalog views and create views using tags, content types, and catalog search. Developers can pre-publish items for reviewers or with a future start date that corresponds to a new game season.

New to v2 is Item draft states, which developers can use to build out a content flow for their studio. With the ability to localize item titles and description strings, developers can create catalogs that are tailored to specific regions and languages. Additionally, the ability to get feedback about items from players through item ratings and reviews enables developers to ensure that their games are always able to receive and respond to player feedback and continue to build in concert with their player communities.

Finally, Economy v2 includes updates to stores that enable dynamic sales using search query filters. This makes it easy for developers to offer players the items they want at a price they can afford. The updates to stores are an essential aspect of game development that enables developers to monetize their games effectively.

In addition to the newly upgraded powerful economy management features, Azure PlayFab also includes a range of other tools to help developers improve their games, such as player segmentation and targeting, social features, analytics and reporting, and much more.

Azure PlayFab Economy v2 is an essential tool in the toolbox for any game developer looking to create and manage an engaging in-game economy. With its powerful features, flexibility, and battle-tested reliability, it is sure to help developers create games that surprise and delight their players.

To find out more about how PlayFab partnered with Minecraft to build out these tools now available to everyone, check out our GDC video How Minecraft's Need for Scalable LiveOps Led to the Improved Capability of Azure PlayFab Economy v2.

To learn more about the new features of Economy v2 check out our documentation or get started with Economy v2 right away with our guide. You can even download the new plugins for the game engine you are using right here.

See you on PlayFab!

Release notes

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