I talk to game developers about DTC pretty much every day, and a common theme runs through those conversations: everyone is excited by the new freedom that the April 30 ruling offers, but their excitement comes with uncertainty and a lot of questions.
At the same time, they also know that every day of hesitation means they are missing out on more revenue, higher margins, and valuable player insights. That mix of excitement and apprehension is perfectly reasonable.
The key opportunity is to keep progressing without being beholden to the latest legal ruling or developer guidelines update.
Before we dive deeper in the advice I give every developer, here’s a quick recap on why direct-to-consumer is more top of mind than ever.
The April 30th ruling in a nutshell
On April 30, 2025 a U.S. district court held Apple in contempt for dodging its 2021 anti-steering injunction. The judge ordered Apple to:
Stop charging any commission on alternative payments
Remove limits on placement, design, and wording of external payment links
Eliminate the “scare screens” that interrupt web-based payment flows
The order took effect immediately and even referred a senior Apple executive for possible criminal-contempt charges.
Apple’s counter-move
Apple filed its appeal on May 5 and, two days later, asked the Ninth Circuit for an emergency stay “essentially a pause” on the outcomes of the April 30th ruling. Apple requested a decision by May 28 and in their appeal they argue that:
The injunction forces it to give away access to its platform and intellectual property without compensation.
The judge overreached by banning all commissions, which was not litigated in 2021.
Losing App Store fees would cause billions in irreparable harm.
Some believe that the ruling overstepped and the current “no rules” climate will change. However, it’s unclear if the court will grant a stay while the appeal goes through the court system. If Apple’s stay request is rejected by the court, then the rules of today (or lack thereof) would remain for potentially several years.
The DTC door is already open
DTC for mobile games is not a theory waiting on the courts. It’s been working for roughly three years. Studios from casual to core have already taught players to buy from their webshops. For many titles, web spend now accounts for 20 to 30 percent (and in some cases more than 50%) of total revenue, proving that players will gladly step outside the App Store when the value is clear and the checkout feels safe. This off-platform habit is already putting real money back into studio P&Ls.
The advice I would give to any game developer
1. Start with the “why.”
Clarify the outcome you want from the onset. Cutting fees is an obvious win, but web payments can do more: deepen engagement through exclusive items, nurture loyalty with point systems or battle-pass perks, capture first-party data that feeds smarter UA, and cross-promote your entire portfolio. Rank these objectives and tie each one to a metric (margin lift, repeat-purchase rate, player-lifetime value) so the team knows what success looks like.
2. Design the player journey first
Pretend off-platform payments are already permanent and sketch the ideal flow. Where will players first learn about the store: launcher pop-ups, seasonal events, creator streams? What story will you tell so they see the store as a place for added value rather than bargain-bin deals? Map every click from discovery to checkout to reward delivery. Once that journey feels bulletproof, layer back any current compliance limits. If the rules loosen tomorrow, you simply remove friction instead of rebuilding the car while it’s in motion.
3. Decide what to build, buy, or test-before-invest.
List the core capabilities a web channel needs: storefront UI, global payments and fraud, tax and compliance, CRM and loyalty, customer support. Circle the few that define your competitive edge, maybe you own the creative storefront and loyalty logic, and consider partnering on the rest. A third-party MoR platform can switch on proven payments, tax, and dispute workflows in days, letting you validate upside before committing headcount. As revenue scales, you can consider insourcing piece by piece without re-architecting from scratch.
The practical ladder to maximize DTC revenue
With your objectives defined, the player journey mapped, and your build-versus-buy decisions made, the next step is to stage the rollout so each layer adds value immediately and sets you up for the one after it. Typically, that progression looks something like this:
Launch a webshop if you have not already.
A stand-alone store works everywhere today and becomes the anchor for every future step. It trains players to buy directly, delivers higher margins from day one, and gives you a live environment for testing offers, bundles, and loyalty mechanics.
Drive traffic with loyalty points and daily web streaks.
These pre-April 30 tactics are fully compliant worldwide. You can add in-game links as long as they don't point directly to a shop experience. Plus, they encourage repeat visits, reward your most committed players, and prove that the webshop adds real value.
Add in-game links to the webshop with a simple on-off toggle.
For now this switch can legally flip only in the United States, and Apple’s appeal could pause it. Build the link logic in advance and gate it by country/OS so you enable or disable with a single config change instead of emergency patchwork.
Prepare full in-game flows that land in a web checkout.
When regulations permit, let players start a purchase in the app and finish it on the web with alternative payment methods. Keep the code path dormant until the rules change, then activate it instantly. If a stay or new guideline rolls back the option, you can turn it off just as quickly.
The bottom line
Direct-to-consumer is no longer speculative. The tools exist, the regulations are trending your way, and every month of waiting leaves revenue on the table. Set clear goals, craft a player-first journey, and choose the smartest mix of build and buy. Whether the courts speed things up or slow them down, you will be ready to capture value the moment the next door opens.
