Omdia: Mobile game developers accelerate D2C adoption as five vendors lead a closely contested market
Mobile game developers are accelerating their adoption of direct to consumer (D2C) platforms following a series of favorable regulatory changes that allow them to sell in-game items, virtual currency and other content directly to consumers without an intermediary. New Omdia research finds that this shift is creating new opportunities for specialist D2C platforms, with five vendors leading a closely contested market.
By selling directly to players, developers can improve profit margins and build stronger relationships. The Omdia Market Radar: D2C Platforms for Mobile Games – 2026 evaluates leading D2C platforms, including in terms of their merchant of record (MoR) services, payments coverage, customizable storefront options, deep analytics, and engagement tooling.
The Market Radar identifies Xsolla, Appcharge, Coda, FastSpring, and Tebex as market leaders, offering strong capabilities across a range of D2C functions. However, the gap between these providers and their challengers remains narrow, with Aghanim and Neon also offering robust services. As platforms rapidly add new tooling, providers will need to continue evolving their D2C offerings.
“D2C in mobile games is reshaping market dynamics to the benefit of mobile game developers, who have reported swift uptake and revenue gains, creating a thriving market for D2C providers,” commented Dom Tait, Research Director of Games at Omdia. “However, choosing the right D2C platform must align with any given developer’s needs. Options can range from pure MoR services to fully managed storefronts, so the selection process should reflect business model, target geographies, genre, live ops cadence, and in house resourcing.D2C companies are rapidly expanding their capabilities, with many of the features assessed in this market radar introduced within the past several months, and further services already in development. As the market continues to evolve at pace, what constitutes an above-average D2C offering today could look very different in a year from now,” concluded Tait.