Apple’s April 30, 2025 contempt ruling in Epic v. Apple means U.S. iOS games can place a button or link that opens an external payment webpage. No filing an exemption, no 27% Apple “link fee,” and no scare screen. By shifting purchases out of IAP, you replace Apple’s 30% cut with Neon’s 5% fee and keep roughly 36% more revenue.

For developers and publishers able to capitalize on this change, this may be the fastest, lowest-lift way to capture DTC margin without standing up a webshop. Here’s a practical playbook.

How it works

1. Your game calls Neon's checkout API from your backend, passing the Player ID and the items they want to purchase.

2. Neon returns a pre-authenticated checkout URL, which lets the player land on checkout already logged-in, loaded as a webpage in their default web browser.

3. The player clicks the in-game CTA to finish checking out through a fully localized and secure flow.

4. Player uses streamlined payment methods like Apple Pay or PayPal, or enters their card details. If using card, players are given the option to save their details for their next purchase.

5. When the purchase is complete, the player is automatically sent back into your game app.

6. Neon sends a webhook to your server letting you know to fulfill the purchase to the player’s in-game account instantly.

Direct Checkout benefits

• Save ~25%: All purchases completed via Direct Checkout are subject to a much lower fee around 5%, opposed to the 30% taken out of IAPs.

• Speed to impact: Direct Checkout is easy to implement, especially for an initial experiment

• UX consistency: Players stay inside the game until the final pay step, then snap back post-purchase.

Three ways to add external payments to your game

Running Direct Checkout without a webshop

A webshop is still a great option: it gives you a complete DTC storefront that works in every market, including regions where in-app links to external payments remain off-limits. In the U.S., though, you can capture the same margin gains without that extra lift. Direct Checkout lets you:

• Send each purchase straight from the game to a secure, browser-based payment page

• Skip catalog maintenance, merchandising, and separate web hosting entirely.

• Launch with three steps: add an in-game call-to-action, deep-link to the checkout URL, and listen for a single webhook to fulfill the order.

In short, Direct Checkout removes the heavy storefront overhead while preserving all the upside of a lower-fee, player-friendly payment flow.

A big unlock for casual games

Casual games thrive on quick, impulsive purchases. Until now, most casual games have stayed away from direct-to-consumer sales because any extra clicks or unfamiliar steps break the impulse. Players decide to buy when a need arises, not on a fixed schedule or in advance.

Direct Checkout removes this barrier. One tap opens a lightweight browser sheet, Apple Pay and other payment methods like card, CashApp and PayPal appear immediately, and the player returns to the game. You capture a higher margin without disrupting the purchase moment.

Why Neon

Neon handles compliance, fraud protection, tax, and security as merchant-of-record while your team stays focused on the gameplay. The optimized Neon Direct Checkout to load fast, we use a streamlined UX that converts, and it can be customized to match your game’s aesthetic so players feel confident and never confused. We’d be happy to show you a side by side of our checkout experience versus others and share our industry-leading performance benchmarks.

Ready to capture more margin and own your player relationships?
Reach out via the form at the bottom of this page for a no-strings-attached consultation call with one of our DTC experts.