Forge announced GameLink and PayLink on June 4, 2025, as two tools aimed at helping game studios build a direct relationship with players. GameLink was presented as a customizable page for organizing a game’s purchase links, trailers, community destinations and other information. PayLink was presented as a way to connect payment processing to a game’s existing in-app purchase flow.
The announcement describes a launch-era offering, not verified current terms. Forge’s public site now presents a broader Steam-focused publishing and marketing platform, but does not confirm whether GameLink and PayLink remain available in the same form.
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What GameLink and PayLink were designed to do
The products addressed different parts of a direct-to-consumer setup. GameLink was the player-facing destination for discovery and links; PayLink concerned payment processing connected to an existing game purchase flow. Forge CEO Kun Gao described them as link-in-bio tools built specifically for game studios and publishers. GamesBeat’s June 4, 2025 report covered the announcement.
GameLink: one game page for links and content
GameLink was described as a customizable central page where a studio could bring together purchase options and other game-related destinations. Reported examples included Steam purchase links, YouTube trailers, social and community pages, FAQs and countdowns. The launch report also described email collection and click analytics.
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The intended role was organizational: instead of sending players to a bare list of unrelated destinations, a developer could direct them to a page centered on one game and its content. The report describes the planned capabilities; it does not constitute independent testing of the product.
PayLink: payment processing tied to an existing flow
PayLink was described as a payment-processing route connected to a game’s existing in-app purchase flow. The announcement framed it as a way for developers to offer a direct payment option, rather than as a replacement for the discovery and community functions of a GameLink page.
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The public launch coverage does not establish which platforms, regions, payment methods or current integrations PayLink supports. Those details matter to whether it can fit a particular game’s checkout and compliance requirements.
Why Forge was testing direct-to-consumer tools
GameLink and PayLink reflect two challenges for studios seeking a direct relationship with players: helping players find a game’s purchase and community destinations, and handling payment when a purchase happens outside the usual store path. A landing page can collect those destinations in one place; payment infrastructure is a separate operational layer.
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Gao said, “In today’s fragmented digital landscape, it’s critical for game developers to have a unified direct to consumer presence.” In the same report, he described the motivation for GameLink: “When we looked at that experience, we thought it was pretty basic and not really ideal for games. And so we set about to build a purpose-built link-in-bio, just for games.” These are the CEO’s descriptions of the products’ rationale, not independent evaluations of their effectiveness.
What Forge said about cost and possible financial benefits
Forge’s launch materials and GamesBeat’s report said the tools were free at launch, with an optional Pro tier. Reported Pro features included custom-domain or subdomain hosting, additional analytics and advanced customization. Forge’s own launch post also described the tools as free and live at that time. These are historical launch details; current pricing and packaging have not been confirmed by the cited sources.
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Gao told GamesBeat that PayLink could potentially increase revenue by up to 35%. He also discussed potential player savings of up to 30% on off-store web-shop purchases and an alternative payment-provider fee of 5% or less. These are claims attributed to Forge’s CEO in the June 2025 report, not independently validated results, guaranteed outcomes or verified current rates. The cited sources do not identify an independent study or audited result supporting the revenue and savings figures.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to assess a direct-to-consumer option for a game
The announcement gives developers a useful way to separate the decision into practical questions. A page that gathers links may address discovery and communication, while a payment provider must work with the game’s actual purchase flow and commercial requirements.
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- It's easy—apply it to your Nintendo eShop account in seconds.
- It ensures that you’ll always have funds on hand to help with purchases of new games and applications
- It’s designed for your Nintendo eShop purchases—no credit card required.
- The perfect gift for anyone who loves to play—including you. Choose from over 1,000 new, classic and indie games – delivered directly to your Nintendo Switch system.
- Page and purchase destinations: Can players reach the relevant store or web-shop option, game information and community links from a single game-specific page?
- Player engagement: Does the service support the email collection, analytics or customization the studio needs, and are those features included in the applicable plan?
- Checkout fit: Can payment processing connect to the game’s existing flow and the platforms on which it is sold?
- Availability: Which regions and payment methods are supported, and are there geographic or platform restrictions?
- Economics and terms: What are the current fees, pricing, conditions and player-facing purchase terms? Historical launch claims are not a substitute for current contractual details.
The June 2025 announcement does not answer all of these implementation questions. Developers considering Forge should verify current GameLink and PayLink availability, pricing, payment methods, platform coverage and geographic restrictions directly with the company.
What Forge’s current public positioning does—and does not—confirm
Forge’s current public website presents a broader Steam-focused self-publishing platform, including marketing pages, mailing lists, playtesting, engagement, community and data tools. That positioning does not confirm that GameLink and PayLink are currently offered, or that their launch-era features and terms remain unchanged.
For context, GamesBeat’s June 4, 2025 report said Forge launched its platform in late 2023 with an $11 million seed round co-led by Makers Fund, Bitkraft Ventures and Animoca Brands. It also quoted company background figures of more than 25 million completed quests and partnerships with hundreds of games. Those are figures reported at the time, not current performance measures.
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