How Transformers: Earth Wars Doubled Its Webshop Revenue Share

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – December 29, 2025

In a striking demonstration of the shifting tides in the mobile gaming industry, Yodo1’s popular title Transformers: Earth Wars has successfully engineered a massive migration of player spending from traditional app stores to its own direct-to-consumer (DTC) webshop. In just eight months, the game more than doubled its share of revenue coming from its webshop, growing from 25% of total player spend in January to an impressive 57% by August 2025. This achievement highlights a potent strategy that could serve as a blueprint for other studios seeking to escape the hefty fees and restrictions of dominant mobile platforms.

This pivotal shift was accomplished in partnership with Neon, a payment platform specializing in DTC solutions for game developers. The collaboration not only boosted the game's margins but also fundamentally altered player purchasing behavior. Alongside the surge in overall webshop revenue, Yodo1 reported a 1.8x increase in first-time purchases on the platform, driven by a targeted promotion that successfully converted non-spending players into direct customers. The results signal a growing trend where developers are actively building pathways to reclaim revenue and foster direct relationships with their player base.

The Industry-Wide Push Beyond App Stores

For years, game studios have operated within the walled gardens of Apple's App Store and the Google Play Store, reluctantly forfeiting approximately 30% of their in-game revenue to the platform holders. This so-called "app tax" has long been a major point of contention, limiting profitability and the potential for reinvestment into game development, user acquisition, and live operations.

The move toward proprietary webshops and alternative payment systems represents a strategic rebellion against this model. The benefits are transformative. By circumventing platform fees, studios can see their margins on direct purchases skyrocket from around 70% to upwards of 95%. This reclaimed revenue can be funneled back into the game, creating more value for players through enhanced content and better support.

Beyond the financial incentives, a DTC model provides studios with invaluable direct access to their players. It allows for the collection of emails, enabling personalized marketing campaigns, loyalty programs, and a much clearer understanding of player lifetime value (LTV). This direct line of communication is impossible within the anonymous environment of app store transactions. Furthermore, webshops grant developers complete pricing freedom, empowering them to run flexible discounts, create unique bundles, conduct A/B testing, and roll out regional promotions without the cumbersome approval processes and limitations imposed by app stores. This agility is critical for maintaining a resilient and adaptable monetization strategy in the face of shifting market dynamics and platform policy changes.

A Four-Pronged Strategy for DTC Success

The remarkable success of Transformers: Earth Wars was not accidental; it was the result of a meticulously executed four-part strategy designed to drive traffic, convert new buyers, and establish the webshop as an essential part of the gameplay experience.

First, Yodo1 seamlessly integrated the webshop into its LiveOps strategy. The webshop was no longer a static, external marketplace but a dynamic extension of the game itself. Every Friday, ahead of major in-game weekend events, the shop was refreshed with themed bundles and exclusive offers that directly complemented the upcoming gameplay mechanics. This transformed webshop visits into a weekly ritual for dedicated players, encouraging them to stock up in advance and creating a powerful bridge between the game and its commerce platform.

Second, the company capitalized on a pivotal legal precedent. The Epic v. Apple ruling of April 30, 2025, opened the door for developers in the U.S. to include buttons and links in their iOS apps that direct users to external purchasing mechanisms. Yodo1 moved quickly to embed consistent in-game prompts and notifications, guiding players to the webshop’s superior offers. This direct signposting, which was previously prohibited, was instrumental in driving awareness and traffic, creating a habit loop where players learned to expect new, valuable content on the webshop each week.

Third, a highly effective first-time purchase promotion was launched to convert window shoppers into active buyers. Players who had never made a webshop purchase were offered a free in-game gift. After claiming it, they were prompted to enter their email to receive a promo code for a 50% discount on their first purchase. The code was then automatically applied to their cart, creating a frictionless path to conversion. This single promotion proved immensely successful, accounting for 80% of all first-time webshop purchases to date and demonstrating that once players experienced the ease of the alternative checkout, they were more likely to return for future purchases.

Finally, Yodo1 implemented a targeted outreach program to re-engage high-value players. The team contacted players who historically spent money in-game but had a low percentage of webshop purchases, educating them on the exclusive benefits available directly. They also reached out to lapsed webshop spenders with special discount codes to encourage their return. This personalized, data-driven approach helped recover at-risk revenue and strengthened the overall DTC funnel.

Changing Habits and Building Loyalty

The core challenge for Yodo1 and Neon was not just to build a functional webshop, but to overcome player inertia. For years, gamers have been conditioned to make purchases through a simple, one-tap process within the app. The Transformers: Earth Wars strategy succeeded by making the alternative more attractive, predictable, and rewarding. The combination of exclusive, event-themed content and compelling financial incentives provided a strong motivation for players to break their old habits.

By making the webshop an integral part of the game's weekly event cycle, Yodo1 turned what could have been a chore into an anticipated part of the player experience. The success of the first-time purchase promotion underscores a key insight: a smooth, user-friendly checkout process, like that provided by Neon, is critical for cementing new behaviors. Once players realized that buying directly was not only more valuable but also just as easy, the psychological barrier was broken, paving the way for sustained engagement with the DTC platform. This deliberate effort to shift player behavior from habitual in-app spending to conscious, value-driven direct purchasing is perhaps the most significant and lasting outcome of the initiative.