Improving ID Verification Processes in the Mobile Gaming Industry

Access to affordable and powerful smartphones has led to an exponential rise in the mobile gaming industry. The demographics of mobile users have changed rapidly and in turn, shaped the whole industry. The gaming industry generated $159 billion in revenue in 2020 – mobile games account for 52 percent of the total revenue. Most of these gamers come from Asia, where over 1.5 billion people enjoy gaming. With games available in regulated and unregulated app stores, there is an unprecedented need for more effective user identity and age verification.

The growing popularity of mobile gaming

Mobile phone companies are rapidly evolving, and as the technology on even less expensive cell phones improves, consumers have greater access to phones to satisfy their gaming needs – especially during the pandemic. According to a recent study, 60 percent of respondents stated that they’ve started playing various games since lockdown.

According to a recent study, 60 percent of respondents stated that they’ve started playing various games since lockdown.

Game developers and their issues with smurfing 

There has been little to no regulation in the distribution of video games. Particularly in free-to-play games smurfing has been a globally recognized issue that game producers are facing. Smurfing is a phenomenon when a higher-ranked player creates a new account to play and dominate lower-ranked players. Game developers like Epic and Riot have spent enormous amounts of money to enhance their game engine to help detect and ban smurfs and cheaters, as it mars the experience for lower-ranked or unranked players. Proper identity verification will increase accountability as it will limit players from creating multiple accounts.

Identity verification in the gambling industry

In many cases, there’s a thin line between gaming and gambling. This is because there is no clear distinction between a game of chance and a game of skill. The pandemic prompted increased reliance on digital processes across various industries, including gaming and gambling. With this increase came the rise in cybercrime and financial fraud. 

 

Global Identity Verification Platform Enhances User Experience and Streamlines Identity Verification with Urjanet >

 

According to Acuant, an identity verification company, 45 percent of the players drop off due to poor onboarding or long wait times. This demonstrates a need for better onboarding and profile verification processes. Often these platforms are at risk of being used for money laundering or credit card fraud. In the first quarter of 2020, gaming platforms saw a 30 percent rise in fraud. Incorporating identity verification into the customer onboarding process helps to deter fraudsters from account takeover attempts and financial frauds. 

45% of players drop off due to poor onboarding or long wait times.

The role of alternative data in the mobile gaming industry

Direct and automated access to utility bill data can provide a reliable resource for identity verification without introducing too much friction into the customer onboarding process. Urjanet’s capability to capture addresses and other information from non-traditional data sources like utility bills can help create better identity verification systems that can mitigate fraud risks in the gaming industry. If you’re ready to improve the identity verification process, speak to one of our experts today.

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