The App Store is a phenomenal success, with an estimated $55 billion in gross sales annually. However, the name ‘The App Store’ is a misnomer: it should be called ‘The Game Store’.
According to Sensor Tower, consumers spent a total of $45 billion on mobile games through the App Store in fiscal 2020. 31% of that was in China, while 26% was in the U.S. To give a sense of scale, Apple raked in more operating profits from games than Xbox maker Microsoft Corp. Nintendo Co., Activision Blizzard Inc, and PlayStation combined in its fiscal year 2019, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis.
