Hot Five: Pokémon Champions’ $3.5m first week, Kabam to consolidate Los Angeles office, and D2C revenue reportedly reaches $17bn

To help get you primed and ready for another week in mobile gaming, we’ve curated the biggest stories you need to know from the last seven days.

1) Report: Mobile game D2C revenues reach $17bn as publishers push beyond app stores

Direct-to-consumer monetisation has grown into a $17 billion market according to a new report from Appcharge.

The figure came from a 15% median average of the percentage revenue coming from D2C, as per the survey, against Newzoo's $113.3bn estimate for mobile IAP sales in 2025.

2) Pokémon Champions makes $3.5m in first week on mobile

Pokémon Champions made approximately $3.5 million in its first week on iOS and Android, after expanding onto mobile on June 17th.

Apple users accounted for three-quarters of mobile spend in week one, having peaked on June 19th.

3) AppsFlyer secures over $1bn investment from Moloco, Google, Meta and Unity

AppsFlyer secured more than $1bn in investment from Moloco, Google, Meta and Unity.

The funds are expected to go towards AI-powered ad measurement, cross-platform attribution and build support for autonomous marketing.

4) Kabam to consolidate Los Angeles office amid reported layoffs

Kabam plans to consolidate its Los Angeles office, with an unknown number of layoffs incoming.

The company first expanded into Los Angeles more than a decade ago, back in 2015, with the acquisitions of local studios Tapzen and Magic Pixel Games. In 2022, Kabam announced that Los Angeles-based Netmarble US was also merged into the company.

5) Beyond Tencent and NetEase: How China's genre specialists took on the global charts

Tencent and Century Games’ flagships are currently dominating global mobile player spending.

While Tencent’s Honor of Kings tops the worldwide chart, the vast majority of its earnings come from China. Century Games' Whiteout Survival, meanwhile, is generating around 71% of player spending overseas.