Appcharge: The direct-to-consumer market currently holds an estimated value of approximately $17 billion

A new study forecasts that direct-to-consumer (DTC) spending on mobile devices will be approximately $17 billion in 2025.

This insight comes from a report by Appcharge in collaboration with GDC, indicating that DTC will represent 15% of the projected $113.3 billion in in-app purchases for 2025, according to Newzoo.

Currently, 42% of gaming companies are entering the DTC market, while another 16% are experimenting with it, and 12% are enhancing their DTC operations. As this area is relatively novel for many companies, 73% express at least partial confidence in their grasp of the industry.

The study reveals that 45% of participants derive less than 10% of their revenue from DTC, while 17% report earnings between 10% and 29%. Meanwhile, 10% generate 30-49%, with an additional 9% earning 50-69% from DTC activities.

8% of firms report revenue contribution from DTC between 70-89%, and a further 11% exceed 90%.

There's a mixed outlook on growth potential in this field. AppMagic anticipates a 26% increase in DTC spending year-over-year in the U.S. They note that DTC revenue for Monopoly Go made up 30% of the total recently, a figure that was significantly lower earlier in 2025.

A quarter of respondents expect their DTC revenue to remain unchanged, whereas 8% predict a decrease. 11% foresee growth under 5%, while 18% anticipate an 18% rise.

Boosting revenue is cited by 63% of respondents as the foremost motivation for exploring DTC strategies. Moreover, 53% aim to cultivate direct relationships with players, and 45% are focused on enhancing monetization potential.

Half of the respondents identify consumer awareness of their DTC ventures as the biggest hurdle, with 41% pointing to player acquisition and 36% citing scaling operations as significant challenges.

Maor Sason, the CEO and co-founder of Appcharge, remarked, "Studios aren’t just creating web stores."

He added, "They’re introducing roles not seen two years ago, redesigning operational strategies, and tackling challenges absent from the app store framework."

According to Sason, early adopters are thriving beyond just revenue—they understand their audience better, ensure longer player retention, and direct their business trajectory more effectively.

"Soon, DTC will cease to be viewed as merely an alternative. It will be the standard for top-performing games, with major studios obtaining the majority of their income by directly engaging with their audience."

Appcharge previously declared that DTC has become a "core scalable revenue system" for developers.