Executive Summary

• DTC is now a core strategic imperative. Even with events continuing to unfold, a watershed combination of legal victories and global regulatory reform has fundamentally cracked Apple’s and Google’s app store duopoly. This shift from a fully closed to an increasingly open ecosystem means mobile leaders can now treat direct-to-consumer (DTC) as a central pillar of their business strategies.
• The opportunity cost of forgoing DTC is large and growing. Our case studies demonstrate that forgoing DTC leaves substantial amounts of money on the table. Publishers of all sizes are seeing significant net revenue gains. Had they not embraced DTC, Playtika, Stillfront, and Ten Square Games alone would have collectively forfeited ~$1.2B in cumulative net revenue.
• Publishers see proven gains in margins. Implementing DTC doesn’t always grow top-line revenue – since it often shifts spend from one platform to another – but the impact on profitability, especially gross margin, is immediate and undeniable. Publishers are moving revenue from 30% platform fees to 3–4% processing fees. Higher profits then enable greater reinvestment in new games, R&D, user acquisition, M&A, and more, creating compounding value over time. As DTC operations mature, better targeting of spenders can also start to drive additional revenue growth.
• Two core incentive strategies have emerged:
  • Discount-based: Offering lower prices to players on DTC channels (used by Stillfront and a few others). This can rapidly grow DTC share and improve gross margins, but it also risks cannibalizing top-line revenue by lowering average transaction sizes.
  • Value-based: Offering more virtual goods to players for the same price (used by Ten Square Games and most others). This is often the preferred model as it protects top-line revenue while still providing a strong incentive for players to move their spending over.
• While every mobile genre can benefit from DTC, some benefit more than others. Midcore and social casino titles can achieve DTC adoption rates of 50-70%, whereas casual titles may remain around 20%. This is because midcore and social casino games often encourage players to spend more proactively, frequently, and at higher average transaction sizes – and DTC channels typically help players maximize the value of their money spent in these games.
• The market is still nascent, underserved, and rapidly innovating. Despite the clear benefits, DTC adoption is still far from mature. As of mid-November 2025, only ~48% of the top 50 grossing US iOS games have implemented any form of DTC, and only ~22% link to it within the game. There remains tremendous value to be unlocked, with various mobile publishers experimenting with a variety of in-game webshop linking and alternative checkout tactics to boost DTC adoption, retention, and monetization.
• The “Build vs Buy” barrier is massively reduced. Publishers no longer need to build their own DTC infrastructure. A healthy ecosystem of third-party solutions (like Neon) now exists, removing the technical and more costly barrier to entry. This also means that publishers can spend more time focused on optimization, not engineering.
• The Future: from webshops to optimized commerce engines. The next evolution of DTC will move beyond simple, higher-friction external webshops. By creating a more direct relationship with players, the goal should be to create a sophisticated, low-friction commerce engine using:
  • Direct checkout links: In-game links that open a pre-loaded, one-click web checkout page, dramatically reducing friction.
  • E-commerce best practices: Implementing loyalty programs, cart abandonment reminders, post-purchase upsells, and more to drive more personalized value to players and maximize LTV.
• A multi-layered approach: No one tactic is a panacea. Instead, publishers should combine various DTC tactics and various in-game touchpoints (like pop-ups, event-based surfacing, etc.) to drive greater awareness and adoption.using:
  • Direct checkout links: In-game links that open a pre-loaded, one-click web checkout page, dramatically reducing friction.
  • E-commerce best practices: Implementing loyalty programs, cart abandonment reminders, post-purchase upsells, and more to drive more personalized value to players and maximize LTV.
  • A multi-layered approach: No one tactic is a panacea. Instead, publishers should combine various DTC tactics and various in-game touchpoints (like pop-ups, event-based surfacing, etc.) to drive greater awareness and adoption.

Introduction

A new mobile gold rush is underway. Thanks to a combination of court rulings and policy reforms, direct-to-consumer (DTC) payments are rapidly becoming a core part of mobile gaming business models. Game and app publishers are seizing the opportunity to replace the 30% platform fees with far more reasonable alternatives, leading to improving margins, accelerating cash flow, and controlling their own player data. Importantly, leading DTC strategies are now embracing multi-layered tactics with the goal of creating high-functioning commerce engines.

Today, we’re unveiling fresh insights and data behind some of the biggest mobile studios’ and publishers’ DTC strategies. With support from Neon, our partner and the leading DTC merchant of record for mobile games, and insights from diverse mobile game publishers, we’re pulling back the curtain and sharing the exact tactics world-class companies have used to unlock DTC success.

Jump to a Section

1. DTC’s quick history
2. Case studies of mobile companies going DTC
3. The types of DTC implementations today
4. Tactical advice for mobile publishers
5. DTC’s future on mobile

How We Got Here

Tim Sweeney (CEO of Epic Games) has long been outspoken about Apple’s and Google’s 30% app store tax, labeling them as "parasitic." Eventually, he decided to take action. 

In August 2020, Epic Games (or Epic) ignited a global fight over app store control when the company added an alternative payment system to Fortnite, bypassing Apple’s and Google’s fees. Both companies banned the game, prompting Epic to open antitrust lawsuits and create the viral #FreeFortnite campaign. However, what began as a stunt became a years-long regulatory battle over how the mobile ecosystem operates.

Epic’s trial against Apple ended with a nuanced ruling: Apple was not found to be a monopoly but its antisteering rules (barring developers from pointing users to external payment options) were struck down. Similar suits followed against Google.

While appeals and international filings took place between 2022 through 2024, momentum began to shift. Domestically, Google was found guilty of monopolizing Android app distribution and in-app billing, and Apple held onto its narrow legal win. However, both companies faced mounting pressures from Europe’s new Digital Markets Act (DMA), which labeled both app stores as “gatekeepers.” European regulators eventually forced both companies to ease their app store policies, which paved the way for Fortnite’s return to iOS in Europe.

In 2025, momentum accelerated. The EU charged Apple €500M for anti-steering violations, Fortnite returned to US app stores, and Google lost its appeal, which triggered Google Play reforms that opened up external billing to all developers. Most recently, Epic and Google reached a proposed settlement allowing in-game links and reduced platform fees while applying their new fee schedule to outside webshops accessed by in-app clickthroughs. This is pending legal approval, which seems unlikely given the Apple ruling expressly forbade all outside-of-app fees and commissions.

Either way, after five years of protracted global litigation, Epic’s campaign succeeded in forcing the first meaningful cracks in the mobile app store duopoly. For a full breakdown of all the key milestones in this journey, please refer to this PDF Appendix.

Where We Are Now

Overall, 2025 has been a watershed year for digital platform regulation and litigation. In the US, Epic’s persistence yielded significant courtroom wins, which at the time of writing allows all iOS and Android apps to surface alternative payment methods and skirt the app store toll in the US. Additionally, Rep. Cammack introduced the App Store Freedom Act in May 2025, which “seeks to promote competition and protect consumers and developers in the mobile app marketplace by prohibiting certain anticompetitive practices by dominant app store operators.” It is currently under consideration by lawmakers.

The falling dominoes of regulatory changes are also increasingly global. In Europe, the DMA moved from theory to reality, and the UK Parliament passed a Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers bill in 2024 with similar provisions. Elsewhere, we see South Korea’s In-App Prohibition Law, Japan’s Antimonopoly Law, Brazil’s order to allow alternative in-app payments, and even Epic’s win over Apple and Google in Australia. Each country’s approach varies, but the momentum of change is undeniable.

While some questions remain unresolved (Apple’s US Supreme Court appeal, pending review of Epic and Google proposed settlement terms, etc.), the trajectory is becoming clearer by the day: both Apple and Google in 2025 began loosening their grip on the once-ironclad app ecosystems in the face of legal and regulatory pressure. This represents a major shift toward platform openness on both sides of the Atlantic, one driven in large part by Epic’s legal crusade and the EU’s regulatory zeal.

Case Studies on Mobile Companies Going DTC

Despite ongoing evolutions, DTC strategies have been implemented by mobile game developers and publishers of various sizes, with some doing so much before Epic waged its war against Apple and Google. As such, we can look at past DTC attempts to track the revenue and profit upside of going DTC. 

Let’s take a look at a few case studies to better understand the metric impact different mobile publishers have seen through embracing DTC.

#1: Playtika (~$2.5B Annual Revenue)

Let’s start with Playtika, the Israeli-based publisher best known for its F2P social casino and casual titles.

When we talk about Playtika’s DTC revenues below, this primarily refers to revenues Playtika generates from its own game distribution means (not Apple or Google), which can be seen as the red “Play Now” button in the screenshot below. Hitting the “Play Now” button takes the player to a web-browser version of the game, if the game has a web-based experience.

Payments in this web-based experience occur through custom payment systems (showcased below) that Playtika has set up in the backend, with processing fees of 3-4% (much lower than the 30% fees charged by prominent third-party platforms).

In other words, none of the above has anything to do with Playtika’s mobile DTC efforts. That is more seen on a dedicated webshop for some mobile games, as showcased below. Getting access to this webshop experience requires a user to connect their mobile game account to the mobile webshop of choice.

Of the games showcased in Playtika’s website game lobby and currently available on mobile (19 games), ~53% (10 games) are playable on Playtika’s DTC browser platform (including in-game purchases), and only ~21% (4 games) have DTC mobile webshops. It was also very interesting to see Playtika’s rapid adoption of alternative checkout means across ~53% (10 games) of their portfolio. When playing through these games and transacting through their in-game stores, it was quite evident that Playtika is trying out a few different variations of alternative checkout flows, UI, messaging etc. to maximize DTC conversions and reconversions. However, do note that this is only available on iOS US currently. Furthermore, over Q3 2025 and according to Sensor Tower, the iOS US revenue of games that have alternative checkout enabled contribute to ~12% of Playtika’s global mobile revenues during the same time period. Putting these two points together, it would be safe to say that the impact of the same to Playtika’s DTC revenue share is likely limited.

Given the data above, a majority of Playtika’s reported DTC revenue likely corresponds to games that are distributed as browser-based games (and monetized with Playtika’s DTC browser webshop). In that sense, Playtika’s DTC revenue growth strategy is really more about introducing a new game distribution channel, which is essentially browser-based. Playtika doesn’t break out mobile DTC revenues separately from overall DTC revenues, but given that the list of mobile webshop integrations is limited and alternative checkout implementations are limited to iOS US, it’s likely not a huge driver.

Playtika’s began reporting its DTC revenue in 2019, and we can see its progress here:

The graph showcases a few key points:

1. Annual third-party platform revenues have largely flatlined.
2. DTC revenues outperformed overall revenue every year except for 2025, growing while the rest of Playtika’s business stagnated between 2021-2024.
3. DTC revenue share (as a % of total revenue) is currently stable at ~25%, and its growth has nearly stalled.

While the data points above might suggest Playtika is hitting a DTC revenue ceiling, it is important to remember:

1. Playtika’s longer-term DTC revenue has less to do with today’s changing DTC environment and more to do with increasingly offering its game portfolio through a new distribution channel (browser). Since only half of Playtika’s current portfolio is available on browser, DTC revenue volume should increase as the company ports more of its growing portfolio to browser. For example, SuperPlay’s major titles are yet to see browser-based ports.
2. Accelerating mobile DTC adoption by players will be another tailwind for Playtika’s DTC revenue volume. However, since this path should lead to existing mobile players transacting through different means (Playtika’s mobile webshops and/or in-app alternative checkout), Playtika’s gains here will likely drive margin improvement more so than overall revenue growth.
3. Given these points, it makes sense why Playtika revised its long-term DTC revenue share target from 30% to 40% earlier this year. Craig Abrahams, President and Chief Financial Officer, additionally noted that “This strategic transition is intended to balance our margins as we manage changes within our portfolio.”

It is also important to understand why Playtika is investing so heavily into DTC. Let’s answer three key questions.

Has revenue increased due to Playtika investing into DTC? There are a few time periods in the graph above where Playtika has seen significant YoY revenue increases:

1. 2019: +$396.9M YoY, with 21% of the increase coming from DTC revenue
2. 2020: +$483.9M YoY, with 27% of the increase coming from DTC revenue
3. 2021: +$211.5M YoY, with 97% of the increase coming from DTC revenue
4. 2025 (annualized): +$219.5M YoY, with 27% of the increase coming from DTC revenue

This growth primarily aligns with the Playtika’s notable acquisitions over the years (Wooga, Supertreat, Seriously, Reworks, SuperPlay), so it’s mostly not attributed to DTC. However, over this time period Playtika has repeatedly commented on how its DTC platforms represent a growing percentage of revenue, in part because Playtika regularly “increased marketing activities in the existing games offered through these platforms.” 

In short, yes, Playtika has seen increased revenue due to investing into a DTC strategy. However, this was mostly driven by a mix of adding new games to Playtika’s browser-based DTC distribution platform and increased performance marketing efforts to drive more new users to the games on this platform. In essence, Playtika is trying to grow a new revenue stream through a new distribution channel, but if growing this DTC revenue is mostly connected to adding DTC support around more existing games, then the DTC strategy is still more about margin improvement than growing the overall top line. 

Has Playtika’s gross margin increased due to investing into DTC? As seen in the graph below, while Playtika’s DTC revenue share has increased from 7% in 2018 to 27% in 2024, gross margin has improved by only a couple of percentage points, from 71% in 2018 to 73% in 2024.

However, a couple caveats need to be kept in mind here:

1. Playtika’s DTC revenue volume is still small compared to its Third-Party Platform revenue. Increasing overall gross margin 2-3% over the past five years based on expanding DTC revenues from 14% to 25% of total sales is reasonable. Think about it: if 10% of sales improves margins by 26% (going from a 30% platform fee to 4%), then that translates to a 2.6% bump to company-wide margins. Therefore, if DTC revenues are to grow further as a percentage of revenue, we’d likely see similar linear margin expansions.
2. The cost of revenue line item in Playtika’s financial statements contains more than platform fees, including customer support, hosting fees, and the depreciation and amortization of server and software costs. Cost of revenue should fluctuate proportionately with revenues, but unless DTC revenue experiences another major lift over time, margins will likely continue to hover in this zone.

Again, Playtika incurs a payment processing fee of 3-4% on all DTC revenue but 30% on all Third-Party Platform revenue. In other words, if all of Playtika’s DTC revenues between 2018 and 2025 were charged a 30% platform processing fee, they would’ve cumulatively lost over $1B in net revenue. This represents a significant opportunity cost, as this $1 billion could otherwise be reinvested into the business.

What is the potential opportunity for Playtika by investing into mobile DTC?: Using Playtika’s latest financials and over Q1-Q3 2025, we assume ~73% of Playtika’s US and EMEA gross revenue is generated from third-party platforms, which equates to ~$1.32B. Since all of this is charged at a 30% platform fee, Playtika currently gets to keep ~$920.5M.

In an extreme scenario where 100% of this revenue is transferred to DTC channels, Playtika would get to keep ~$1.27B (on a 3.5% processing fee), resulting in a +$348.5M (+38%) profit increase. This is unlikely but shows how much is at stake.

In a more conservative and realistic scenario where 25% of this third-party platform revenue is transferred to DTC channels, Playtika would keep ~$1.01B, resulting in a +$87.1M (+9%) profit increase.

The profit gained from shifting more revenue to DTC can also unlock positive externalities across the business. Certainly, it gives them more firepower and optionality to tackle new game development, increase its performance marketing budget, reinvest in R&D, better pursue M&A (such as the SuperPlay acquisition in 2024), or even return more capital to shareholders. In other words, gains from DTC can lead to further compounding in the future.

In summary, Playtika’s DTC strategy has both helped the company grow and increase its margin profile, not to mention reduce its dependency on major third-party platforms. After several years of fast-paced growth, the browser channel has proven stable, and although the DTC revenue numbers are beginning to look stagnant, there’s more potential to unlock. Several additional games can still have browser webshop support added, and mobile-native DTC support is still nascent. There’s significant room for growth – at least in profitability – by adding greater DTC support around Playtika’s portfolio of titles. Continuing to shift revenue to DTC channels should create greater ripple effects for the business, enabling greater reinvestments or returns to shareholders.

#2: Stillfront Group (~$600M Annual Revenue)

Next, let’s cover Stillfront, the Swedish mobile-dominant publisher whose portfolio targets long-life, live-ops heavy games spanning several genres. 

Since Q1 2023, Stillfront Group reports its revenue split into three channels:

1. Ads: Generated from selling advertising in Stillfront’s games
2. Third-party platforms: Generated from purchases on external platforms, such as App Store, Google Play Store, Steam, and Microsoft Store
3. DTC: Generated from Stillfront’s own internal proprietary payment platforms

Unlike Playtika’s focus on building a new distribution channel, Stillfront’s focus is on enabling a proprietary payment platform. According to Stillfront’s 2023 report: “During the year, we have launched the Stillfront Payment hub as part of our Stillops operating model, and we are pleased to have been able to increase the share of DTC bookings consistently for each quarter during the year.”

In the same report, Stillfront goes on to say: “At our Capital Markets Day, we outlined a plan for how we would reach our financial target of delivering an adjusted EBITDAC margin between 26-29%... Looking back at the first year, we have made significant progress towards our financial targets. We lowered direct costs as a percentage of net revenue by 1.7 percentage points, driven by our successful focus on increasing DTC bookings.”

Stillfront additionally notes in their public filings that “Payment processing fees and other related expenses for in-app purchases are significantly lower in Stillfront’s proprietary channels compared to 3rd party stores.”

Clearly, Stillfront’s DTC strategy revolves around moving existing revenue from third-party platforms to their internal DTC channels in order to improve gross margins. It is important to note that improving gross margin is likely a big priority for Stillfront because its MAUs are falling precipitously. This MAU decline appears to also be driving down bookings, so finding areas to cut costs is more important than ever in helping keep profits and cash flows from heavily falling too.

Given that context, Stillfront has been successful in growing its share of DTC revenues. DTC revenue share has quickly climbed from 28% in Q1 2023 to 49% in Q3 2025.

This rapid growth has primarily been a function of how Stillfront decided to incentivize its payer base to transact through its DTC channels instead – with heavy IAP discounts.

However, this strategy has come at a slight cost, as Stillfront has noted over time:

1. Q3 2024 report: “Bookings from DTC channels, which incur significantly lower payment fees compared to bookings from 3rd party stores, have a negative effect on net revenue growth, but that is more than offset by its positive impact on gross profit. This is primarily due to the use of discounts to incentivize players to engage through our DTC channels, rather than via 3rd party stores.”
2. 2024 annual report: “Going forward, we will continue to drive growth in our DTC channels by offering customers discounts as higher DTC share yields stronger margins and cash flow, albeit at the cost of some bookings growth.”
3. Q3 2025 report: “Players continued to migrate to the Stillfront payment solution, and 44% of the players are now paying through a DTC platform, which is negative for bookings and net revenue but accretive to gross profit and gross margin. This is primarily driven by players actively being incentivized to move to Stillfront’s DTC payment solutions.”

Essentially, Stillfront is pursuing higher profits by deliberately reducing its own revenue. While the IAP discounts have successfully incentivized Stillfront’s paybase to transact through its DTC channels, revenue volume has been slightly impacted due to lower average transaction sizes on the DTC channels. This puts into question the long-term viability of such an incentive strategy, as it seems to put pressure on the top-line.

It's also worth noting that Stillfront's approach directly contrasts to how most mobile F2P game developers keep webshop prices the same (to maintain average transaction size) but increase the value of the virtual goods delivered instead.

Of course, any quantitative analysis (especially DTC-specific ones) should focus most on the impact to cash flows. Unfortunately, the publicly available data on Stillfront's DTC strategy isn't deep enough to allow for that level of analysis. In other words, there are scenarios where reducing bookings in exchange for higher profitability can be a sensible trade-off. Stillfront appears to be taking that view, even if most of the other companies we examined do not.

That said, Stillfront has been able to see some of the gross margin gains it was hoping to achieve, moving it from 78% in Q1 2023 to 83% in Q3 2025. In both their Q1 2024 and Q3 2025 reports, Stillfront confirmed that the higher gross profit and margin improvements were driven by their strategic efforts to increase the share of bookings coming from DTC channels.

In conclusion, let’s go back to our three key questions.

Has revenue increased due to Stillfront investing into DTC? No. While much of Stillfront’s declining revenue is likely driven by the broader declining MAU trend, Stillfront also acknowledged that its DTC incentivization strategy results in lower average transaction sizes, which is negative for bookings and net revenue (but accretive to gross margin) and would’ve otherwise been higher on third-party channels. We believe this has more to do with Stillfront’s decision to price DTC transactions at lower price points than the nature of DTC itself (as we see different trends and decisions, such as choosing to offer more in-game value at the same price points, in other companies).

Has Stillfront’s gross margin increased due to investing into DTC?: Yes. And Stillfront seems to be willing to take the hit to revenue due to lower average transaction sizes given the gross profit lift the DTC shift is generating. That said, a higher margin on lower revenue may not always translate to higher profits as a whole.

Since we weren’t able to locate Stillfront’s specific DTC processing fee percentages, we’ll assume 3.5%, in-line with Playtika’s benchmark. With that assumption, between Q1 2023 - Q3 2025, if all of Stillfront’s DTC revenues were charged a 30% platform processing fee, they would’ve lost ~1,465 MSEK (~$153M) in cumulative net revenue (after platform fees). That’s ~26% of their average annual revenue over 2023 and 2024. As with Playtika, this represents a sizable opportunity cost.

What is the potential opportunity for Stillfront by investing into mobile DTC?: Triangulating Sensor Tower estimates to Stillfront’s reported metrics, we estimate that 89% of Stillfront’s North America and Europe gross revenue is generated from mobile, 50% of which comes from third-party platforms. This equates to ~1,267 MSEK (~$132M), so assuming all of this is charged at a 30% platform fee, Stillfront currently keeps ~887 MSEK (~$93M).

In an extreme scenario where 100% of this revenue is transferred to DTC channels, Stillfront would keep ~1,123 MSEK (~$117M, on a 3.5% processing fee), resulting in a +336 MSEK (~$35M, +38%) profit increase. This is unlikely – doubly so since ARPU is lower in Stillfront’s DTC channels – but shows how much upside is remaining.

In a conservative and potentially realistic scenario where 25% of this third-party revenue is transferred to DTC channels, Stillfront would keep ~971 MSEK (~$101M), resulting in a +84 MSEK (~$9M, +9%) profit increase. And like with Playtika above, higher profits can lead to other forms of reinvestment that continue to drive higher value for the business.

In summary, Stillfront’s strategic goal has been to shift bookings from third-party stores to its internal DTC payment ecosystem in order to improve gross margins. However, Stillfront’s DTC transition has come at a cost. While it has been financially accretive to margins, it has simultaneously been dilutive to revenue growth. Also, because Stillfront’s DTC transactions come at a lower ARPU than third-party platform ARPU, it’s questionable whether the change is truly resulting in sustainable higher profits, even if the margin profile is improved. As such, the company’s next challenge likely lies in maintaining these margin gains while finding sustainable ways to stabilize MAUs and transaction volumes without over-relying on deep pricing discounts to incentivize rapid webshop adoption. Many teams could learn from how quickly Stillfront adopted DTC, even if Stillfront still has room to optimize its own strategy further.

#3: Ten Square Games (~$100M Annual Revenue)

Ten Square Games (TSG), the Polish mobile publisher focused on the realistic simulation genre, has more recently started exploring DTC. The company first mentioned its “TSG Store” in its Q3 2023 presentation. The broad idea was to support their biggest game, Fishing Clash, with a webshop (TSG Store) and also launch a web version of the game that utilizes the same webshop.

In the same presentation, management also mentioned their intention to connect Hunting Clash (TSG’s second biggest game) to the TSG Store, wherein transactions on the webshop would offer “more value” versus “lower prices.”

What’s also interesting to note is how TSG went about testing the TSG store experience before considering rolling it out across the portfolio’s two biggest titles. The key milestones of this process are showcased in the image below.

It’s notable that TSG started with their VIPs (top spenders), which is counterintuitively a great test cohort. Neon's CEO, Chris Faught, notes that VIP players are not just the most invested in the game and receptive to better value / bonus incentives, but also the most willing to engage, provide feedback, and help improve the DTC experience. He went on to say the following:

In a sense, TSG’s DTC strategy seems like a combination of Playtika’s and Stillfront’s strategies. TSG is not only investing in increasing distribution through creating web versions of their biggest games (Playtika’s strategy), but it’s also moving existing revenue volume to DTC channels from third-party channels (Stillfront’s strategy). TSG is additionally connecting both web and mobile game clients to one single TSG Store (in contrast to Playtika having two webshop experiences), while implementing a value-based incentive strategy (versus Stillfront’s discount-based strategy), so as to maintain the same average transaction size while gaining higher margins.

As of the time of writing, the TSG Store has only been implemented for Fishing Clash and Hunting Clash. It contributed to ~20% of TSG’s bookings over 2025 and generally seems to be growing every month at a healthy clip, with some occasional dips.

Has revenue increased due to TSG investing into DTC?: This doesn’t seem to be the case for TSG when looking at the consolidated bookings for Fishing Clash and Hunting Clash.

However, as in Stillfront’s case, this seems to be more correlated with MAU and ARPMAU trends, which likely has more to do with product weaknesses versus an ineffective DTC strategy.

Has TSG’s gross margin increased due to investing into DTC?: To approximate this, we used TSG’s “commissions-to-bookings” ratio, which showcases what percentage of bookings is lost to platform fees. We additionally converted this metric into a rolling four-quarter average to smoothen out the curve and read the trend more clearly.

As can be seen in the graph above, TSG has clearly seen an improvement in this metric as DTC’s share of bookings started to grow rapidly. More specifically, the Q3 2025’s commissions-to-booking ratio (25.2%) is +10% better than the average between 2021-2023 (28%). In other words, TSG gets to keep 10% more of its bookings which can then be used in other ways.

Since we weren’t able to locate TSG’s specific DTC processing fee percentages, we’ll assume a 3.5% processing fee on DTC revenue, in-line with Playtika’s benchmark. With that assumption, between Q3 2023 and Q3 2025, if all of TSG’s DTC revenues were charged a 30% platform processing fee, they would’ve lost ~31.3 PLN million (~$8.5M) in cumulative net revenue (after platform fees). That’s ~8.5% of TSG’s average annual revenue over 2023 and 2024. In the future, as DTC as a percentage of revenue continues to grow, these numbers should be decently larger.

What is the potential opportunity for TSG by investing into mobile DTC?: Using TSG’s recent financials and over Q1-Q3 2025, we estimate that ~97% of TSG’s North America and Europe gross revenue is generated from mobile, and ~80% of that comes from third-party platforms, which equates to ~166.4 million zł (~$45M). Assuming all of this is charged at 30% platform fee, TSG currently keeps ~116.5 million zł (~$32M). 

In an extreme scenario of 100% of this revenue being transferred to DTC channels, TSG would keep ~160.6 million zł (~$43.5M, on a 3.5% processing fee), resulting in a +44.1 million zł (~$12M, +38%) profit increase. This is, of course, unlikely but demonstrates the full potential upside.

In a conservative and totally realistic scenario of 25% of this revenue being transferred to DTC channels, TSG would keep ~127.5 million zł (~$35M), resulting in a +11 million zł (~$3M, +9%) profit increase. And just like the other companies discussed, the created opportunity for greater reinvestment (like meaningfully increasing its performance marketing budget) should lead to even more value created in the long-run.

In summary, while TSG’s DTC strategy is still young, it suggests a promising path toward long-term profitability. As discussed previously, TSG took a hybrid approach of Playtika’s distribution-driven approach and Stillfront’s margin-driven focus – methodically testing and taking learnings from different companies. While overall product and growth issues might have held TSG back in recent years, its DTC strategy is clearly taking hold and lowering overall commissions as a percentage of revenue, supporting the bottom line in larger ways quarter-after-quarter. If the company can stabilize player engagement and scale its webshop adoption across its portfolio titles, there’s even more upside to be found.

Conclusion

Based on these case studies, there are a few key takeaways.

First, forgoing DTC investment presents a significant opportunity cost. Playtika, Stillfront, and TSG would have collectively “lost” $1 billion, $153 million, and $8.5 million in net revenues, respectively, had they not embraced DTC. Furthermore, shifting just an additional 25% of their existing third-party mobile revenues to DTC channels could, for example, boost their user acquisition budgets by 1.1-1.3x, or drive reinvestment and returns in other ways. These case studies underscore the substantial opportunity cost incurred by most mobile F2P developers for each day they delay implementing DTC transformation strategies.

Second, the data suggests that mobile F2P publishers of varying sizes see similar, significant gains in net revenues and margins by adopting DTC strategies. These companies may not always grow gross revenue as a result of DTC implementations, but by shifting revenue from third-party platforms to DTC channels there are unquestionable margin benefits – which, as discussed above, lead to greater reinvestment or shareholder return opportunities. All this said, if a company’s goal is to generate incremental revenue through a DTC transformation effort, then the initiative should likely be focused on establishing a new distribution channel, much like how Playtika and Ten Square Games approach it.

Third, two distinct incentive strategies are employed to encourage DTC adoption:

• Discount-based: Offering lower prices in webshops compared to in-game stores. Stillfront is an example of a publisher using this method.
• Value-based: Providing greater virtual good value for the same price in webshops compared to in-game stores. Most mobile F2P publishers opt for this approach to safeguard average transaction size and prevent top-line cannibalization.

While both strategies demonstrably boost DTC adoption rates, the optimal approach or blend for long-term sustainability remains to be seen and may differ by game.

Fourth, a clear preference exists for implementing DTC strategies in midcore or social casino titles over casual ones. Beyond the companies studied above, other publicly traded mobile F2P publishers, like Huuuge Games, also demonstrate this trend. Neon's data suggests that midcore or social casino titles can achieve DTC adoption rates of 50-70%, whereas casual titles typically remain around 20%. This difference is logical, as midcore and social casino games often require players to spend more proactively, frequently, and at higher average transaction sizes. DTC channels cater to the need of maximizing value per dollar spent in these genres.

Conversely, casual games generally rely on impulse-driven, lower-frequency, and lower average transaction size purchases, where transaction speed is paramount. The friction of being directed to a webshop, where pre-authentication might not exist and credit card details could need re-entry, is often too high for casual players. However, Neon is already seeing a shift as in-game alternative checkout systems become more prevalent. These systems remove webshop friction while retaining their value proposition. Neon reports that in the US, where alternative checkout with added incentives are available, casual players have shown 50% or more DTC adoption. Even though alternative checkout is only compliant and fee-free in the U.S., that subset of the market is also the highest spending, with one-third of global IAP spending coming from the U.S.

Fifth, most titles employing DTC strategies generate the majority of their revenue from the US and EU – and therefore see the most DTC revenues from these regions. Major mobile F2P markets like China, Japan, and South Korea remain largely untapped from a DTC standpoint. However, with more countries globally pushing for similar regulatory changes, the geographic distribution of revenue could eventually become a significant factor in determining which portfolio titles are best suited for DTC strategies. It will just take time for app store walled gardens worldwide to open up. Plus, different regions have different pricing sensitivities and payment preferences, which, depending on a game’s geographic mix, can be a factor in determining whether to enable DTC or not.

Sixth, there is a healthy mix of buying versus building DTC infrastructure. Some companies like Playtika, Stillfront, and Zynga opted to build their own DTC infrastructure and payment rails. In contrast, others like Huuuge Games, MTG, Tripledot, Metacore, Product Madness, PerBlue, Yodo1, Candivore, and Nordcurrent prefer to partner with third-party solutions such as Neon, Xsolla, Appcharge, and Stash. While the decision to build or buy likely involves a detailed assessment for each mobile F2P developer pursuing DTC, the wide array of available third-party solutions removes any barrier to entry for those looking to get started.

If you’re considering building an in-house solution, Bruno Sousa, SVP of Stillfront’s Payment Hub, shared the following piece of advice:

But if you’re evaluating which DTC partner to work with, Stephen Lee, VP of Partnerships at DECA Games, shared some excellent guidance:

Of course, all the above hinges not only on strategic shifts by publishers but also on how players themselves respond to new purchasing options. While the revenue opportunity is clear, success ultimately depends on adoption – hence why it’s critical to understand end-consumer behavior around webshops.

Recent consumer research from Neon suggests that the market is primed with 34% of mobile gamers having already purchased via a webshop, and more than half say they’d likely try one in the future. The challenge is behavioral – players default to platform-provided payment rails – but the data shows a real opening if mobile developers and publishers invest in webshop incentives and UX.

The conclusion is clear: DTC webshops are no longer just a defensive play against platform fees but a growth and profit lever that both publishers and players are increasingly ready to embrace. Nearly all mobile publishers – of varying size, maturity, and growth – can find obvious business upside in implementing tactically thoughtful DTC strategies. The new, emerging era of DTC payments will take time to be regulated and adopted around the world, but given the existing momentum across the US and EU, now is the time for developers and publishers to put in place (or at least prepare for) their next-generation DTC strategies.

Next, let’s walk through what those strategies may look like.

Types of Mobile DTC Implementations Today

As of now, there are three key DTC implementation types on mobile:

1. Live Webshop (with no in-game linking)
2. Direct Webshop Links
3. Direct Checkout Links (aka alternative checkout)

It is interesting to note that even with all the regulatory progress and financial upside, a very low percentage of top grossing mobile titles have actually made any progress on this front. Based on October 2025’s iOS US top 50 grossing games and as of mid-November 2025, only 24 (~48%) have enabled their DTC strategy in some way. 24 games (~48%) have a mobile webshop available, 11 games (~22%) have direct webshop links in-game, and only 3 games (~6%) have direct checkout links in-game. Also, of the games that have a mobile webshop available, ~46% have direct webshop links in-game – thereby making the “live webshop (with no in-game linking)” method the most implemented DTC adoption solution in this subset of games. However, we expect these percentages to move up soon given Apple’s and Google’s updated store policies in the US. Additionally, note that expanding the list to the top 100 or 200 grossing might shift the percentages to some extent, as there is DTC adoption occurring there too.

Direct Webshop Links

Direct Webshop Links usually exist in the form of a clickable in-app link that opens up a webshop interface in an external browser. Here, players browse the various webshop offers and transact off-platform. As of mid-November 2025, Direct Webshop links are available in 11 of the top 50 iOS US grossing games.

While having to transact off-platform might seem like a high-friction UX flow, the transition is pretty quick and seamless in practice. Pre-authenticated links (allowing players to land on the webshop in a logged-in state) speed things up even more.

However, some important psychological friction points (as shared by Neon) should be noted:

1. Players may not understand or trust the new webshop experience that goes against the IAP habit they've built over the years. Building this trust quickly is a major key to unlocking success. 
2. Players can drop off during webshop checkout if the payment flow isn’t optimized. Be sure to use a solution with familiar one-tap payment methods like Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal etc.. 
3. Webshops generally perform best in games where players buy proactively and regularly and/or before or after action gameplay, as in many midcore genres and subgenres. They’re less effective in games driven by impulse, in-the-moment purchases, which is more typical of many casual genres and subgenres. Since genres are unlikely to change their core design just to drive webshop adoption, player behavior probably won’t shift much. Instead, casual games may be able to grow webshop usage by targeting their more habitual spenders with webshop adoption tactics.

With that context set, we’ve observed seven distinct implementations of Direct Webshop Links in today’s mobile games. Let’s break them down one-by-one.

#1 – Pop-Up-based Surfacing: This involves informing players about the existence of a webstore by using pop-ups. For example, in Clash Royale, Supercell greeted players on launch with a bold modal that said “Get Your Special Offer on the Supercell Store.” While there is no better way than an at-launch pop-up to grab players’ attention, many players don’t start the game with an intent to make immediate purchases. An at-launch pop-up could end up being ignored, reducing effectiveness of the tactic itself. However, A/B testing the timing of this pop-up is very doable and can be something mobile game publishers optimize for.

Another example is in Rise of Kingdoms, where the pop-up contains information about a free gift that can be claimed upon visiting the webshop. It helps drive traffic to the webshop by leveraging the power of “free stuff,” which can sometimes be more powerful than added value or a simple discount.

A third example is from Huuuge Casino, where the pop-up very explicitly tells players about the added value they’d get on their purchases by transacting through the webshop versus the in-game store.

There are clearly many ways to leverage pop-ups to inform players about a webshop and the value it brings to the table. Many A/B tests can be run on pop-up design, messaging, and timing to not only maximize click through rates but also webshop conversion and reconversions.

#2 – In-game Shop Surfacing: This involves showcasing a persistent and direct link to the webshop in the in-game shop. For example, in Pokemon Go, Scopely used a persistent banner that sticks to the side of the screen as you scroll through their in-game shop.

Another example of this implementation can be seen in Star Trek Timelines, where the in-game store surfaces a static CTA taking the player directly to the game’s webshop.

In Clash of Clans, Supercell showcases a prominent, featured tile that says “Get more from the Supercell Store” with further details about what that means.

This implementation showcases the possibility of purchasing through the webshop when player intent to purchase is the highest. In our eyes, it is arguably the most friction-aware and polished implementation of a Direct Webshop Link. At the same time, carefully designing this placement to ensure the highest clickthrough rate is key, as players are already in the in-game shop, generally used to making purchases there, and the game is now asking for a change in behavior that can be a psychological barrier blocking webshop interaction.

#3 – Event-based Surfacing: In this implementation, the existence of a webshop is surfaced to the player as part of events. For example, in Call of Duty: Mobile, a limited time webshop-only offer is triggered and players are messaged about it using the pop-up showcased below.

Another example is in EA Sports FC Mobile, where the existence of the game’s webshop is lightly messaged with the game’s Daily Booster event.

A third example is in Disney Heroes: Battle Mode, where PerBlue promotes its webshop through limited-time events and weekly gifts. More specifically, the team added a dedicated webshop deal in their Offers & Events menu, featuring “Web Shop Weekly Gift” and "exclusive offers and exciting bonuses.”

PerBlue also shared with us that the above implementation increased daily webshop visits by 7x and daily webshop revenue by 2x, both of which are very impressive results. The upside of this approach lies in slowly building player habits to visit the webshop via a recurring reward structure. Additionally, the exclusive webshop offers drive FOMO, further boosting webshop visits.

Overall, utilizing in-game events to surface the existence of a game's webshop can be quite effective when timed well, but regular resurfacing should also be taken into consideration. Needless to say, this style of implementation is very fertile for a variety of A/B tests to drive clickthrough rates, first-time webshop conversions, and potentially webshop reconversions too.

#4 – Persistent Surfacing: This implementation involves showcasing a prominent Direct Webshop Link on a highly frequented portion of the game, such as the home screen. For example, Zynga Poker dedicates a home screen tile (amongst its various gameplay tiles) to surface its webshop.

Golf Clash showcases a HUD icon on the home screen by promoting “Extra Value Offers.”

Empires & Puzzles also showcases a HUD icon on the home screen, but connects it with a webshop-only Daily Gift feature, which acts as extra incentive to drive player traffic to the webshop.

Overall, this implementation is another friction-aware and polished implementation of a Direct Webshop Link. The nature of the placement serves as a constant reminder to players of there being another way to transact in the game. And while this implementation might not be optimized for surfacing the webshop at the point of highest purchase intent, its permanent visibility helps ensure players are aware of that option. 

#5 – Progression-based Surfacing: One unique approach to surfacing a Direct Webshop Link prioritizes engagement-driven self-selection over maximization of visibility. For example, in Scopely’s Monopoly Go, the game’s webshop is wrapped in the guise of an invite-only and highly exclusive “Tycoon Club,” which means not all players have access to it until they've made sufficient in-game progress. To qualify for this invitation, a player must reach level 10 and have been playing for at least one month. Once the invitation is accepted, the Monopoly Go webshop takes the player through a short tutorial on how best to utilize it.

What’s additionally interesting about this implementation is how Monopoly Go connects the webshop experience to a concept of “loyalty points,” which are gained with every purchase made in the webshop. These points can then be redeemed in the webshop for various in-game benefits. Returning back to the game allows players to use these earned benefits.

Pokemon Go somewhat inverts Monopoly Go’s implementation by hosting the loyalty system within the game itself. When a player makes certain purchases in the in-game store, they earn Pokemon Go’s version of loyalty points. The more loyalty points a player gets, the more rewards they unlock on the “Reward Road.” These rewards can only be redeemed on Pokemon Go’s webshop, wherein players will see everything else the webshop has to offer.

DoubleDown Casino takes a third approach. In-game access to the game’s webshop (the “Diamond Lounge”) is double-gated behind both player level and reaching a certain tier in the game’s payment-based loyalty system (or VIP program). Unlocking access results in the game showcasing the player webshop-only offers.

We believe this method of Direct Webshop Link integration can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, it could be an integral part of the game's design, staggering player agency until they're ready to engage in more communal activities (such as player vs. player events), then making those players feel as if they’re now part of an exclusive club. That can go a long way towards driving further engagement and monetization from a group of engagement-proven players. 

On the other hand, outright gating a sizable percentage of your player base from engaging with a higher value-per-dollar webshop experience can have an opportunity cost. This can manifest in a few ways, such as players not having the patience to satisfy unknown engagement criteria or holding off on spending entirely until their exclusive purchasing experience is unlocked. It’s one of those product debates that probably depends on the nature of different games and player bases, and it is likely best solved with A/B tests.

#6 – Inbox-based Surfacing: This involves letting players know about the game’s webshop through the in-game inbox. For example in Dorian’s games, they send targeted inbox messages that link to their webshop with messaging about daily free gifts.

Dorian CEO, Julia Palatovska, confirmed that their DTC revenue share has grown from 10% in June 2025 to 40%+ in November 2025 (a 4x increase in 4 months!), and also had the following to say about implementing this strategy in their app:

Miniclip’s 8 Ball Pool tells players about “New Web Shop Weekly Deals,” which includes purchasing many cosmetics that are no longer available in-game.

Social Point’s Dragon City entices players to visit the webshop by messaging about free gifts that are available to claim there.

Overall, this approach can help target engaged users in a non-intrusive and highly native way, while communicating webshop utility and rewards clearly. However, since this notification lives in the inbox, there is a chance of these notifications being ignored by more casual players.

#7 – External Channels Surfacing: Several companies look towards leveraging their communities, creator pools, and social channels to direct traffic to their webstores. 

For example, in Monster Hunter Now, the Autumn Hunt 2025 event was promoted on TikTok including a nod to the webshop.

Zynga utilizes email marketing to reach players directly with offers and promotions available only through the game’s webshop. Dorian emphasized to us the importance of creators authentically communicating webshop benefits to their fans, as creators also receive more real currency from webshop purchases made by their fans. Further, DECA Games said to us that word-of-mouth within tight-knit game communities also helps drive webshop adoption. And Supercell leverages Clash of Clans’ Discord channel to offer giveaways that can only be redeemed through the Supercell Store; sometimes these giveaways are also connected to community events.

While this implementation might not maximize Direct Webshop Link surfacing across a game’s entire player base, it does speak to a more engaged subset of players and regularly reinforces the existence and value available in webshops. In other words, this implementation likely helps multiply the messaging impact of a more holistic DTC communication strategy.

Direct Checkout Links

A Direct Checkout Link is a clickable in-app link that opens a specific offer’s checkout flow directly in the external browser. Unlike Direct Webshop Links, this takes the user straight to the final step in the purchase funnel, streamlining the path to conversion. As of mid-November 2025, Direct Checkout Links are available in only three of the top 50 iOS US grossing titles.

Although the adoption rate of Direct Checkout Links across the top 50 titles is quite low, especially compared to adoption of Direct Webshop Links, there’s been steady adoption across the mobile game industry overall. There are dozens of examples of games using Direct Checkout Links to integrate DTC payments directly into their game UX across all genres including casual. In some cases, like Playtika’s June’s Journey and Board Kings, all players have access to the Direct Checkout option beginning with their first view of the in-game store. In other cases, like Rovio’s Dream Blast, only players that reach a specific progression level or LTV floor will be presented with the Direct Checkout option. This progression-based or LTV-based personalization makes it difficult to truly uncover a wide range of Direct Checkout live examples. As noted by Neon’s Head of Product Design, Yi Chen:

For example, Epic’s Fortnite makes the option to transact in an alternative fashion very clear and simple:

Additionally, Epic enables a form of cashback, wherein 20% of the transaction value is credited back to the user in the form of Epic Rewards, which can be used to subsidize future transactions in Fortnite, Epic’s other games, or on the Epic Games Store. You can read more about the broader Epic Rewards Program here.

Playtika’s Board Kings does it similarly, but without the cashback component. However, Playtika’s June’s Journey does incentivize the Direct Checkout Link with a 5% bonus. If this means that Playtika is experimenting with what works best to eventually make a portfolio-wide decision on how best to implement Direct Checkout Links, that’s a good thing.

Rovio’s Dream Blast is also interesting for two reasons. First, as mentioned above, the alternative checkout option is only presented once a player has reached a specific level of progression (which seems to happen when the player upgrades their player account to level 13). Second, Direct Checkout is only available for two of the twelve total items in the in-game shop, both bundles under $10, and presented via a different color button with a unique icon. The game also introduces the new payment option, “Direct Buy,” with a pop-up that communicates that these payments support the game directly, include 10% bonus value, and are secure.

Lastly, Double Down Casino takes an approach that merges a lot of what the examples above showcase. After players reach the Pink Tier of the “Diamond Club”, their in-game store adds up a new Direct Checkout Link toggle (see the top right of the image below), where turning it on would activate the game’s alternative checkout flow on all in-game store purchases. Toggling this on is additionally incentivized by giving players 20% more chips.

So, What Should Mobile Publishers Be Doing?

There are many ways a mobile game publisher can drive traffic to their webshop and enable DTC transactions. And the various examples showcased above also serve different use cases. This essentially means that no single implementation dominates as yet, and the mobile publishers who take a multi-layered approach with their DTC strategies are likely going to be the biggest long-term winners.

For example, Supercell combines several avenues to increase webshop traffic. This includes various in-game touch points, social media, community engagement, paid advertising (ads targeting webshop adoption), email marketing, and even the Supercell website – all of which can be seen below. And similarly cohesive strategies are also applied by other publishers like Playtika, Huuuge Games, and Zynga.

Unlocking DTC payments and optimizing checkout flows are essential first steps for publishers – but they’re only the foundation. The next step for publishers lies in transforming one’s webshop and alternative checkout surfaces into end-to-end commerce experiences. 

In order to build a multi-layered and end-to-end commerce strategy, mobile game publishers are beginning to adopt tactics that e-commerce brands have refined for years. Whether your goal is to increase average order value, reduce cart abandonment, or boost repeat purchases, here are some more ideas that could help you unlock the full potential of your DTC strategy.

Notify players purposefully when they abandon cart/checkout: When a player abandons their checkout or cart (whether on the webshop or in the alternative checkout flow), send them an email or in-game message to remind them to re-engage – ideally with a discount, bonus, or promo code incentive. Below is an example of how Amazon does it, while more examples can be found here.

Localize stores and optimize the order of payment methods per geography: Since most games have global audiences, when promoting your webshop to players in different regions, make sure to localize your store experience to ensure maximizing DTC adoption rate. Grzegorz Gierczyk, Head of Game Services at Ten Square Games, shared his advice on webshop localization:

Further, optimizing payment options and their display order by geography is crucial for completing the purchase funnel. This is because payment method availability and preferred order vary significantly across countries. For example, it’s a good idea to use Samsung Pay in South Korea, BLIK in Poland, and PayPal in Germany, as those are each the most dominant payment method for online purchases in those countries. However, do consider how many payment methods to offer, as transaction costs can differ greatly. And don’t forget to include the express pay options up top.

Implement a DTC loyalty program: Deploy a tiered loyalty program specific to alternative checkout or a webshop in which players unlock perks as they earn points from DTC purchases. Progress mechanics to drive more purchases (“Spend $10 more to unlock an Epic Chest”) could be used in a similar vein. We’re seeing the beginnings of this across a few mobile game publishers, but one that has particularly impressed us is Supercell’s ID Rewards program. This is a cross-game rewards program that allows players to earn and accumulate points by completing various missions (and making purchases) across Supercell games and services. These points can be used to claim a variety of rewards, including in-game items.

Explore webshop exclusivity: Making items, resources, and products available only in webshops can help drive traffic to webshops, because it provides a very unique value proposition. For example, Ten Square Games offers a webshop exclusive currency for Fishing Clash players called “Fish Bucks,” which players can use to buy exclusive items in-game. Here is a video of how it works:

Carry over best in-game shop practices to the webshop: From using server-driven controls to A/B test pricing tiers and bundle compositions to adding countdowns for limited-time offers, there are many well-explored efforts in mobile F2P in-game shop optimization that can easily be carried over to DTC stores, too.

Experiment with post-purchase upsells: After a player completes a purchase, 1-click upsells can be offered, such as “Add 1,000 bonus gems for $1.99 more.” Many e-commerce companies, such as Etsy and Every, use this to increase average order value, and mobile games could consider doing the same with consumables or add-ons. The fundamental design of a post-purchase upsell is showcased below, but there are many variations as showcased here.

Remind players about replenishment through the webshop: For consumable items (like energy refills, currency, etc.), prompting players (“You’re almost out of tokens. Refill now with a 10% bonus.”) with timely reminders based on usage patterns could be an effective way to build the habit of purchasing through webshops. Many e-commerce brands, like Dollar Shave Club and Sephora, use this tactic to drive re-conversions and re-engagement.

Utilize smart winback campaigns: Going DTC builds a more direct connection with players, which means there are unique new ways to leverage email marketing. For instance, automatically triggering winback emails or offers to lapsed spenders (e.g. 30 days since last purchase) could help with winning them back in a way that’s not possible without DTC. This can be further combined with light personalization tactics: “It’s been a month since we last saw you – here’s 2X gold if you come back today.” Many brands like Starbucks and Grammarly use this tactic to good effect. Below is how Grammarly does it through their email marketing efforts.

Optimize campaigns to time zones: Another benefit of going DTC and having more player data means it’s possible to schedule promotions or email pushes to hit peak conversion windows based on each player’s time zone. This is tactically proven to increase open rates and conversions across both e-commerce and mobile apps. Companies like Netflix send emails and push notifications timed to users’ local evening hours when streaming activity is highest. And Uber Eats pushes lunch promos around 11am local time and dinner deals around 6pm local time in each city.

Embed feedback prompts: After purchase, it might be beneficial to let players provide quick feedback: “How would you rate this order?” “How likely are you to buy this item again?” “Would you recommend this bundle to other players?” Of course, context is important, and every game and genre is different. Feedback doesn't fit everywhere (like where randomized loot boxes are concerned or when the items being purchased are simple, like in-game currency), and the timing of feedback prompts can be optimized. But there still can be instances in which occasional player feedback on new bundles, subscription tiers, or even their requests of future store items can be useful. Building such qualitative insight to eventually help refine offers, similar to the ubiquitous and highly standardized post-purchase surveys in e-commerce, could go a long way in optimizing one’s DTC efforts. Once again, Grzegorz Gierczyk, Head of Game Services at Ten Square Games, shared his advice:

Collectively, these tactics (among others) can help studios and publishers shift their strategic thinking from merely enabling DTC payments to optimizing them as part of a sophisticated revenue engine. For example, loyalty programs and post-purchase upsells can help boost LTV, while cart recovery and replenishment reminders can help reduce churn and drive repeat purchases.

Looking Ahead

As DTC strategies continue to evolve on mobile, there are some key trends we look forward to playing out over the next few years.

A Rapidly Evolving Regulatory Environment: As discussed earlier, the impact of Epic’s fight against Apple and Google is not just limited to the US market. Here we resurface how various countries have noticed DTC payment enablement policies changing

Based on the table above, two points emerge:

1. Each country’s approach to enabling third-party payments not only varies today but also will continue to evolve into a very heterogeneous ruleset.
2. Enabling third-party payments across the globe is likely going to take some time, simply because courts and governments are slow-moving bodies.

The ongoing loosening of Apple and Google's once-ironclad app ecosystems on both sides of the Atlantic is increasingly becoming a likelihood. While country-specific approaches will vary and reaching third-payment enablement parity worldwide will take time, the Epic vs. Apple / Google legal battles have undoubtedly strengthened global resolve, empowering policymakers to act with greater confidence.

Apple / Google Justifying their 30% Cut with Platform Upgrades: Recently, both Apple and Google rolled out substantial updates designed to make their ecosystems appear more indispensable to developers – especially those in gaming, where engagement, discovery, and monetization intersect most clearly. Apple’s launch of the Games app in iOS 26 and Google’s Level Up program represent two sides of the same defensive strategy: expanding discoverability and engagement tools while strengthening user lock-in.

Apple’s new app borrows from the neglected Game Center, featuring time-played charts, social “Play Together” functionality, and customizable challenges between friends – features that mimic console-style social loops and keep players inside Apple’s ecosystem. Google’s Play Store refresh introduces guided AI search, personalized recommendations, achievement streaks tied to Play Points, and even league competitions, subtly tying daily play and rewards back to Google’s payment infrastructure. Read more of our analysis on both efforts here.

Yet beneath these seemingly user-first innovations, it is hard to shake off the feeling of a strategic motive: To justify the 30% platform cut by proving ongoing reinvestment into ecosystem services. While the upgrades do seem to enhance the perceived value of distribution, discovery, and engagement for developers – the same pillars the 30% fee was historically meant to fund – it also feels like these platforms are trying to shift the narrative from “fee extraction” to “ecosystem enablement.” Simultaneously, the improved distribution, discovery, and engagement mechanics still seem to primarily favor established hits, while smaller developers might continue to face significant marketing costs and limited visibility. Additionally, slightly odd feature implementations, such as subscriptions occupying premium real estate, signal that both platforms continue to focus on growing their own recurring-revenue ecosystems rather than democratizing anything.

Ultimately, Apple and Google’s platform upgrades seem less about changing the rules of the app economy and more about justifying why the old rules still deserve to exist. Their message to regulators, developers, and investors alike is that the 30% cut funds a “premium” user experience, while protecting developer ROI. Whether that’s enough to placate policymakers or satisfy developers seeking fairer terms remains to be seen, but it’s a clear sign that the duopoly is evolving and will likely continue to evolve its defenses rather than lowering its walls.

DTC Contributing to Mobile Gaming Market Growth: As evidenced by our case studies, adopting a DTC strategy drives higher net revenues and profits that can be reinvested in various ways. Importantly, growing net revenue across the industry will lead to reinvestment opportunities that can spur additional growth. For instance, increased UA or live-ops budgets can profitably scale mobile F2P revenues. Alternatively, more capital unlocked for new game development could lead to the next Monopoly Go, which significantly contributed to mobile F2P growth in 2024. Higher profitability could even make M&A more viable for larger companies – not to mention make targets even more attractive by becoming more profitable. While forecasting the exact scale of mobile F2P market growth from a greater share of revenues flowing through DTC is very hard, it’s likely that we’d see all sorts of positive ripple effects as developers and publishers become healthier businesses.

Quickly Evolving DTC Best Practices: As the regulatory landscape towards Apple and Google shifts globally and new openings for DTC relationships are created, the playbook for mobile DTC execution is rapidly evolving too. What started with simply standing up a webshop URL has quickly evolved into full blown DTC experiences, as showcased previously by the likes of Supercell and Playtika. And innovation to drive up DTC adoption, increase off-platform monetisation, and further in-game engagement seems to be brewing in various corners of the industry.

For example, DTC loyalty programs are an emerging trend that is driving greater retention and recurring spending. Recent consumer research from Neon suggests that a loyalty program that rewards purchases was the second most appealing feature to drive webshop adoption.

We’re also seeing experimentation around DTC purchases giving players access to a completely new in-game currency, which can be spent on currency-exclusive in-game benefits – see below for how Whiteout Survival does this. Theoretically, this method not only helps drive webshop adoption but also webshop monetization and incentivizing increased in-game engagement.

A last example is daily web streaks, which was recently implemented by PerBlue (the studio behind Legendary: Game of Heroes) in collaboration with Neon. It essentially helped drive both new and recurring player traffic to the webshop. Liu Xu, Head of Customer Success at Neon, points out one of the key advantages of using daily web streaks:

The full case study is available here, but this simple mechanic helped:

• Increase average daily webshop traffic by 7.5x
• Fuel webshop trial purchases, showcased by a 25x increase in average daily new purchasers
• Boost revenue by 2.5x’ing average daily webshop sales
• Grow DTC LTV with a +34% increase in webshop ARPU

Most Mobile Publishers Buying DTC Enablement Solutions versus Building In-house: Just like software for most any function in any industry, while individual companies theoretically can create their own solutions, doing so often holds large opportunity costs. As leading DTC enablement solutions become increasingly built out and can adapt to different playbooks, regions, and regulations, teams of all genres and sizes will increasingly look to simplify their operations by working with companies that are fully devoted to making great DTC experiences. Yes, there will be exceptions, especially from the largest companies with the revenue and budgets to justify truly customized builds. For example, TSG noted to us that they initially considered DTC solutions from companies offering complete packages, but then decided to develop it in-house for better flexibility and ownership, and primarily outsourcing payments and taxes. But we predict that even large companies will work more with dedicated DTC partners over time in the same way they have done so for technologies.

The Rise of Direct Checkout, and Fall of Webshops: While webshops have clear business value, they do create friction for players. Making players leave their games, log in, and navigate multiple screens just to make a purchase can lead to abandonment or challenged conversion rates if not careful.

Direct checkout changes that. By integrating payment flows directly into the game or launcher – often through APIs, overlays, or embedded wallets – developers eliminate the need for an external site, at least for many types of purchases. Players stay more immersed, purchases become more impulse-friendly, and data capture even improves. Newly emerging DTC toolkits are beginning to accelerate this shift, making it easier to layer checkout and CRM directly into the player experience.

This shift mirrors what’s happened in other digital categories: the path to purchase collapsing into the product experience itself. The “fall” of webshops isn’t total – some will of course still serve as hubs for bundles, merch, and higher-value SKUs – but their role may become secondary to embedded, frictionless checkout that happens wherever the player already is. As we've discussed throughout this report, DTC strategies will evolve over time, but direct checkout is clearly an area of opportunity we expect to become more popular.

The Bottom Line

The future of DTC is bright, though currently marked by rapid change. While regulatory frameworks in key regions are still taking shape and global adoption will follow, market leaders are actively experimenting with diverse tactics, which will eventually lead to normalized, industry-wide best practices. Despite this ongoing change and uncertainty, there is clear evidence that DTC implementations are yielding positive results. Developers and publishers are seeing higher net revenues and profits, gaining new distribution channels, and establishing direct relationships with their players, complete with valuable first-party data. The development of more sophisticated and multi-layered commerce systems is well underway, and these benefits are expected to create increasingly positive ripple effects throughout the mobile gaming ecosystem over time.

Of course, as with anything new, creating the perfect DTC implementation for your game requires thoughtful expertise. Quick and smooth integrations with transparent, predictable pricing structures – like those Neon offers – are what will win the day for mobile studios in the months and years ahead. Additionally, if Naavik can help with your DTC strategy consulting needs, don’t hesitate to let us know.