Monetize Your Unity Games with BlackBerry In-App Payment Plugin

Monetizing your Unity 3D games on BlackBerry 10 just got super easy! The gaming folks at BlackBerry have been busy – and we are pleased to announce the release of a free BlackBerry In-App Payment plugin via the Unity Asset Store that provides access to the BlackBerry Payment Services.

Here is a quick run-down on what you need before you can add IAP features to your game:

1. Download the Plugin

Assuming you are up and running with Unity BlackBerry development, you should be now able to download and import the BlackBerry IAP plugin from the Unity Asset Store (Window->Asset Store).

The BlackBerry IAP plugin interface, documentation and sample script (BlackBerryIAPTest.cs) can be found under the “BlackBerry” folder in the project tree window. The plugin is a wrapper around the native BlackBerry Payment APIs and it is highly recommended to understand the fundamentals of the BlackBerry Payment Service.

2. Add the virtual goods

Before adding virtual goods, a signed version of your game must be uploaded to the BlackBerry World portal. The game can be uploaded by clicking the “Manage Products -> Add Product” button. Once the game is uploaded and listed under your products, you should be able to start adding virtual goods by clicking the “+” button under the “goods” column, as shown below. 

The virtual goods can be distributed under the following license types:

1. Non-consumable: This license type is for a virtual good that can only be purchased once by a user. The Payment Service server automatically blocks subsequent purchases by the user.
2. Consumable: This license type is for a virtual good that may be purchased by a user more than once. The Payment Service server does not set any controls on the number of times that a user can purchase these goods.
3. 7/30-day Subscription: This license type allows you to set an initial purchase price (or free), as well as a renewal price. Once the user has purchased this product, they will automatically be charged the renewal price every 7 or 30 days until the subscription is canceled.

And under the following license models:

1. Static: A user does not require a license key to run the product.
2. Single: You must provide a single license key that all users can use to run the product.
3. Pool: You must provide a pool of unique license keys that RIM can use to distribute to each user. The pool must contain at least 100 license keys.
4. Dynamic: You must provide an address for a web site that generates license keys. This licensing model is deprecated and support for new applications using this mode will be removed in a future release.

For more information on submitting your game to BlackBerry World, managing virtual goods and choosing the right licensing options, refer to the BlackBerry World getting started documentation.

3. Test In-App Purchasing

Once your virtual goods are uploaded and your code written, you should be able test your IAP transactions using two testing modes:

1. Local Testing: Great for prototyping and development. The cool part is that we don’t require a BlackBerry World account setup or even a network connection. Calling BlackBerryIAP.SetConnectionMode(true) enables local testing.
2. Sandbox Testing: Once implementation is validated with local testing, you should be able to test your IAP transactions in sandbox mode. This mode, however, requires a network connection. No credit card charges will go through during sandbox testing.

For more information on BlackBerry IAP testing, refer to BlackBerry Payment Service Documentation.

If you have any questions, concerns, comments or kudos feel free to reach out to me at rmadhavan@blackberry.com or connect directly on Twitter @rmadhavan7.

Now get that plugin and start making lots of money!