Beyond the App Store: How DT and Xsolla are unlocking a new path to mobile growth

For years, the mobile app ecosystem operated like a single-lane highway with a mandatory toll charging up to a 30% cut on every in-app transaction. 

Under regulatory pressure and a series of legal settlements, Google has replaced its traditional 30% Play Store fee with a reduced structure that opens the door to alternative billing systems, web linkouts, and registered third-party storefronts. At the same time, in the EU and the UK, an interesting finding in Sensor Tower’s State of Gaming 2026 report highlights a critical shift in user behavior: while app downloads are stabilizing, in-app purchase (IAP) revenues continue to hit record highs.  

The takeaway for developers is clear. While a sizable drop from 30% offers welcome relief, relying on partial platform rate cuts still leaves significant gross margin on the table. In a market where the cost of acquiring high-LTV users continues to rise year over year, developers need two missing pieces: a pioneering payment solution that bypasses the “app store tax” and a distribution engine that operates independently of the walled gardens.

Piece #1: Unlocking better economics with Xsolla

To improve margins, more top developers are adding an off-store pillar to their app strategies — leveraging direct-to-consumer (DTC) channels and web stores to circumvent traditional app store fees. This shift is already yielding massive returns: the top 100 mobile titles recorded a 38% year-over-year increase in 2025 D2C earnings, demonstrating a widening financial gap between developers actively embracing direct sales and those relying solely on traditional app store distribution.

Xsolla provides the payment infrastructure that makes this possible, helping developers take greater control of their in-app economy and retain more value from their transactions.

But better payment economics are only part of the equation. An off-store app is only as successful as its marketing strategy. Users need to discover and install the app outside traditional app stores. This is where the next piece of the puzzle comes in: distribution and growth.

Piece #2: Unlocking scale with DT Launchpad

DT Launchpad, announced recently, gives publishers a distribution route that shortens the distance between discovery and install. Through direct integrations with carriers and OEMs, DT can create more seamless paths to getting apps onto users’ phones, while its footprint across 82K+ apps creates additional opportunities to reach and acquire users.

That reach also makes distribution smarter. The signals generated across DT’s app and device footprint help identify which users are most likely to engage and convert — giving publishers not just more ways to distribute, but greater intelligence about where and how to drive growth.

The complete picture

Together, Xsolla and DT help make off-store growth a more scalable proposition. Xsolla gives publishers greater control over how they monetize; DT helps solve the challenge of reaching the right users and getting apps onto their devices.

As mobile becomes more open, publishers shouldn't have to choose between scale and control. By combining smarter distribution with more flexible monetization, DT and Xsolla give publishers more ways to grow — and more ownership of the economics along the way.