Report: Mobile, PC gaming shifting towards D2C models
Xsolla, the video game commerce company, has released the latest edition of The Xsolla Report, analysing the accelerating global shift toward direct-to-consumer (D2C) commerce and strategies across mobile and PC game distribution. Drawing on data from publishers, platform policy changes, and global market expansion trends, the report shows how D2C has moved from an experimental strategy to a core operating model for leading video game studios
For most of history for mobile video games platform-controlled billing has defined the industry’s economics, with Apple and Google requiring all in-app purchases to flow through their systems and taking commissions of up to 30 per cent. The model is now evolving under sustained regulatory pressure and legal rulings across the US, European Union, Japan, and other major markets, accelerating the adoption of external payments and owned commerce channels
At the same time, publishers are no longer treating D2C as a niche optimisation. Across mobile, overall game revenue grew just 0.2 per cent in 2025, while US D2C revenue increased 26 per cent, and the top 100 titles saw D2C earnings grow 38 per cent year over year, underscoring a widening performance gap between platform-dependent and direct-to-consumer strategies
“This is no longer a theoretical shift,” said Chris Hewish, President of Xsolla. “What we are seeing is the emergence of a new commercial baseline for the industry. The combination of regulatory change, infrastructure maturity, and publisher adoption has moved direct-to-consumer from an edge case to a core growth driver.”
“The misconception of D2C simply being about replacing platform revenue misses the point,” added Berkley Egenes, Chief Marketing & Growth Officer at Xsolla. “The real transformation is operational. Studios are building direct relationships with players, optimizing for lifetime value, and using owned channels to improve margins and engagement at scale.”
Key Findings from The Xsolla Report include:
- D2C is now a primary growth engine for video games, with US D2C revenue growing 26 per cent and top titles increasing D2C earnings by 38 per cent year over year, despite near-flat overall growth in the mobile market.
- Leading publishers are rapidly scaling D2C revenue share, with companies such as Playtika reaching $814.5 million in D2C revenue and targeting 40 per cent long-term share, SciPlay reaching 25 per cent D2C mix, Stillfront Group approaching 39 per cent, and Huuuge Games surpassing 40 per cent D2C share.
- The economics of D2C are structurally different from, but not purely additive to, those of B2C, with real net savings typically ranging from 10-20 percentage points after accounting for payments, fraud, tax compliance, and operational overhead.
- Platform policy shifts and regulations are accelerating external payments globally, with court rulings and regulatory frameworks across the US, EU, Japan, and other regions reshaping how digital commerce is structured.
- Emerging markets represent the next major growth frontier for video games, with Southeast Asia and Latin America scaling to hundreds of millions of players and up to $79 billion in projected market value, while the Middle East expands through sovereign-led investment and national gaming strategies.
- Monetisation outcomes increasingly depend on infrastructure maturity, with ARPU ranging dramatically across regions from low single digits in emerging markets to $80+ in mature ones, underscoring the importance of payments, localization, and distribution systems in unlocking revenue potential.
“The studios winning today are not choosing between platforms and D2C,” added Egenes. “They’re building both. The difference is D2C gives them ownership of the economic relationship with their players, and this changes everything.”
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Categories: Articles, Games, Markets, Mobile, Research
Tags: apple, D2C, games, google, PC, xsolla
