Appcharge: Direct-to-consumer market worth around $17bn today

Direct-to-consumer mobile spending reached approximately $17 billion in 2025, representing 15% of the $113.3 billion in-app purchase market, according to Appcharge and GDC research. 42% of surveyed companies are exploring DTC, 16% are testing it, and 12% are scaling. Revenue distribution is wide: 45% earn under 10% from DTC, while 11% generate over 90%. AppMagic projects 26% year-on-year DTC growth in the US; Monopoly Go derived 30% of recent revenue from DTC. Primary motivations are increasing revenue (63%), building direct player relationships (53%), and improving monetization (45%). Key challenges include player awareness (50%), acquisition (41%), and scaling (36%).

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Appeared in 2026-06-24.