Every Wednesday we break down the latest data, research and financial results into digestible chunks.
Read on for the numbers you need to know about minus the fluff.
This column is sponsored by Xsolla, offering the #1 web shop solution for mobile games that generates more value, purchases, and revenue. Get started here.
Zenless Zone Zero nears $300m on its first birthday
Zenless Zone Zero’s first anniversary event earned Mihoyo nearly $6m in one day, according to Appmagic.
The data firm says the game has earned its developer ~$292m since its launch one year ago from 22.5m downloads.
The first anniversary event took place on June 6, and marked the launch on v2.0, which included a new region, three new characters and various live ops.
Fortnite quickly passed 10m downloads after US App Store return
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney told The Verge that Fortnite has been downloaded through the US App Store 10m times already.
The game returned to the US App Store on May 20, and passed 10m installs in two weeks – Sweeney revealed that stat on June 3, so it will have increased by a few million since then.
App Store consumer spend hit $9.72bn in May
Sensor Tower estimates show that despite the rise and rise of direct-to-consumer options, total App Store spend continues to rise and rise.
Total consumer spend on the App Store was estimated to be $9.72bn in May, the second-highest total ever after January’s record $9.79bn.
Nintendo Today hits 2.4m installs as Switch 2 launches
Nintendo’s news and fan service app Nintendo Today has reached 2.4m downloads, according to Appmagic.
It was launched in March 2025, shortly before the console was formally revealed on April 2. The app saw most of its installs in the first week, and the launch of the console on June 5 has caused a small bump, rising from 5-6k daily downloads to ~20k per day since launch.
Nintendo recently confirmed Switch 2 had sold 3.5m in four days, making it the fastest-selling Nintendo console ever.
Two-thirds of western big-screen gamers play on mobile
Two-thirds of console and PC gamers also play on mobile. That’s according to a new Ampere Analysis report, Gaming Convergence: The Multi-Platform, Multimedia Future. Its data covers eight western markets (France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, UK, US) and identifies players as those aged 16-64.
Ampere says the average western gamer plays across three devices. It found that 62% of console gamers also play on smartphone, 31% also play on PC, and 26% also play on tablet. When it comes to PC gamers, 66% play on smartphone too, 50% also play on console, and 31% play on tablet.
On the subject of transferring AAA IP to mobile, Ampere notes that having an established brand isn’t enough to succeed on its own. It highlights the commercial failure of high-profile iOS ports of Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil Village, Death Stranding and Assassin’s Creed Mirage. Citing Appmagic data, it says none of these ports has managed to earn $1m in lifetime revenue on the App Store.
It contrasts these struggles with the success of native mobile games like Call of Duty Mobile and Diablo Immortal, which have generated $1.96bn and $59.2m respectively, and the full cross-platform hit Genshin Impact, which has raked in $4.6bn.
Kohort raises $2.5m
Revenue and user growth forecasting platform Kohort has raised $2.5m in a funding round led by The Raine Group. Existing investors Eurazeo, AlbionVC and Triple Point Ventures also participated, as did new investors Velocity Capital and Portfolio Ventures.
Kohort said the funding will be used to continue developing its predictive analytics platform, and enable it to expand beyond mobile gaming into new verticals.
Survey finds outsourcing on the rise
The latest annual report from the External Development Summit (XDS) found that outsourcing is on the rise in the engineering and co-development sectors.
Its 2025 survey, which is based on over 154 submissions from industry professionals worldwide, found that developers/publishers reported an ongoing fall in the proportion of work retained internally, with an average reduction of 5% compared to the previous year’s data.
The proportion of full SKU mobile development retained internally fell by 13% points in 2025’s survey to 38%.
Mobile co-development placed third on a list of the top areas in engineering and development that developers/publishers are sending externally. Porting topped the list, followed by PC/console co development.
