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Digital Garage’s Third-Party Payment Platform “AppPay” Launches Now Features “Monster Strike”
Full-Scale Launch of the “AppPay Media Network” to Support App Publishers in Expanding Revenue
- Digital Garage, Inc. (TSE Prime section: 4819; HQ: Tokyo; Representative Director, President Executive Officer and Group CEO: Kaoru Hayashi; Digital Garage) announced that “Monster Strike,” one of Japan’s largest mobile games operated by MIXI, Inc. (Headquarters: Tokyo; President, Representative Director, Senior Corporate Officer, CEO: Koki Kimura; MIXI), is now available on “AppPay,” Japan’s No.1 third-party payment platform (*1) provided by Digital Garage since 2023.
- Through this official store, “Monster Strike” players can purchase in-game items such as “Orbs” easily, securely, and with better value.
- In addition, AppPay has officially launched the “AppPay Media Network,” a new user acquisition network in collaboration with major point mall operators, including those run by leading financial institutions, as well as top media outlets and influencer agencies.
*1: Based on the number of game and app titles introduced among third-party payment services operating in Japan
(as of October 2025, Digital Garage research).
In “Monster Strike,” providing users with a convenient purchasing experience is a key theme. In addition to offering a third-party payment service, “AppPay” has built the “AppPay Media Network” to support this initiative, enabling users to seamlessly purchase in-game items through the media they use in their daily lives and delivering a more convenient purchasing experience.
▽ AppPay service website: https://service.app-pay.jp/en/
■About the “AppPay Media Network”
This network is a user acquisition platform operated and developed by Digital Garage to expand third-party payment adoption. It connects more than 18 point mall operators, including those run by major financial institutions, with GameWith, Inc.’s game media platform “GameWith,” and the creator ecosystem of UUUM Co., Ltd. one of Japan’s largest influencer agencies. “AppPay” has already partnered with more than 7 major game media outlets. Through this network, app publishers can effectively reach a broader user base and increase third-party payment sales.
For users, the network enables seamless and value-driven purchasing experiences—allowing them to buy in-game items through familiar media platforms or earn points through major point malls.
■Market and Social Background
In Japan’s smartphone app market, users’ digital content purchases have long been confined to in-app transactions, limiting competition and restricting revenue diversification for app publishers.
Third-party payments address these structural constraints by creating a more open and flexible purchasing environment, where users can enjoy digital content in ways that better fit their preferences.
With the full-scale launch of the “AppPay Media Network,” users can naturally access third-party payment stores through the media and services they already use, enjoying more rewarding and convenient purchasing experiences.
At the same time, app publishers can expand their reach and improve profitability by accessing user segments that were previously difficult to reach through their own channels alone.
Since its launch, AppPay has worked with over 40 app titles—including those using external media networks such as GameWith—to increase the share of third-party payments. With the addition of “Monster Strike” as an official AppPay store, Digital Garage aims to further expand the adoption of third-party payments while creating new value and experiences for both publishers and users.
The Digital Garage Group promotes its group strategy “DG FinTech Shift,” which integrates payments, data, and technology to drive the growth of diverse businesses in an era of significant social and industrial change.
This initiative is part of that broader strategy.
■About “Monster Strike”< Monster Strike Official Website(Japanese) >
It is a refreshing and exhilarating action RPG that makes full use of smartphone features and can be easily enjoyed by anyone. Players pull and fling their own monsters with their fingers to hit and defeat enemy monsters in this turn-based game. By skillfully using “rebounds” and “collisions” against walls and monsters, they can conquer various quests. One of its main features is cooperative multiplayer, allowing up to four friends to play together simultaneously. Since its launch in October 2013, the game has been enjoyed by a large number of users, surpassing a total of 64 million players worldwide as of May 2025.
■AppPay Service Overview
“AppPay” is Japan’s leading third-party payment platform that enables users to purchase digital content for various apps outside app stores. It provides functions such as “payment systems,” “web pages (CMS-based generation),” “customer support,” and “marketing.”
App publishers can easily build a third-party payment system without spending time and money on web page production or system development, and can significantly reduce the burden of payment fees. Users can use multiple payment methods, including credit cards, simply by registering with “AppPay,” enabling easy purchases across a variety of apps.
In September 2025, “AppPay” began global expansion, providing Merchant of Record (MoR) functionality along with multilingual site building, localized customer support, marketing, and data analytics for overseas deployment.
The payment system for “AppPay” utilizes the payment services provided by DG Financial Technology, a group company. With a robust, stable, and high-speed infrastructure handling over 7.5 trillion yen in annual transaction volume, the system supports the “DG FinTech Shift” initiative while accelerating innovation in the smartphone industry.
▽ Inquiries from game and app publishers regarding “AppPay”: app-pay@garage.co.jp
■Company Profile
Name: Digital Garage, Inc.
Representative: Kaoru Hayashi, Representative Director, President Executive Officer and Group CEO
Head office address: DG Bldg., 3-5-7 Ebisu Minami, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Shibuya PARCO DG Bldg., 15-1 Udagawa-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Date founded: August 1995
Digital Garage, Inc. is the leading payment service provider in Japan. With the corporate purpose of “Designing ‘New Context’ for a sustainable society with technology,” Digital Garage operates payment business services for various comprehensive payment platforms in Japan. Digital Garage also runs a marketing business providing one-stop solutions in both the digital and real worlds, as well as a startup investment and development business for approaching promising startups and technologies in Japan and overseas. Digital Garage is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market (TSE Prime: 4819). For more on Digital Garage, visit garage.co.jp/en