TLDR: People have been noticing the changes in Gameloft's monitization strategies (decreasing moonstone rewards, increasing premium shop, decreasing 'free' content). Is this “survival monetization” or just "corporate greed"? I looked into the 2025 financial results, and it got me a bit worried about DDV's future.
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I feel like most of us playing Disney Dreamlight Valley have noticed the economy shifting over time, especially during the last 6-8 months. There are tons of threads about it (especially here), but a lot of them lean pretty heavily on how it feels. I was curious what the actual numbers might say.
So I looked at Gameloft’s 2025 financial results. Quick disclaimer: I’m not an expert and I might be missing context. I think that the data we do have doesn’t really support the idea that “they need this to survive.”
>"In 2025, Gameloft’s EBITA excluding restructuring charges reached €19 million, a 34.0% increase compared to 2024. Including restructuring charges, EBITA was €15 million, up 87.5% compared to 2024." (Vivendi, March 12, 2026)
Gameloft reported €303M in revenue in 2025, with growth despite a tough market. Profitability is up (EBITA +34%) and operating cash flow hit a record €31M. That doesn’t look like a struggling company, but like one getting better at monetising. At the same time, their PC/console segment is still growing fast (+17.4%) and now makes up nearly half their revenue. So it’s not like they’re struggling or stuck. Gameloft is still expanding successfully.
My (very non-expert) take is that this might be about finding players’ reservation price: basically how much people are willing to spend before they stop. And based on the year-over-year growth, it doesn’t seem like that ceiling has been hit yet. Revenue is still going up. So, even with all the discussion around premium shop changes and moonstone adjustments, the overall signal is: people are still spending. Maybe they’re unhappy, but not enough to actually change behaviour in a way that shows up in the numbers.
Also, maybe this sounds a bit cynical, but over the years I’ve seen a lot of the same complaints come up again and again; missed potential, bugs, lackluster quest stories, systems that feel underdeveloped, etc. And I’m starting to wonder why that would ever change?
62% of Gameloft’s revenue comes from just five games (including Disney Dreamlight Valley, which their CEO described in a 2025 interview as their biggest success ever, with over $300M in revenue). That level of concentration suggests the company is heavily dependent on a small number of “hit” titles. Combined with the trend of more paid content and less free content over time, it seems consistent with a model where the main focus shifts toward maximizing revenue from already successful games rather than broadly expanding free updates or supporting less profitable content.
If the current version of the game is already generating growing revenue, what’s the incentive to invest heavily in improving it? From an investor’s perspective, the logic is pretty simple: revenue up, cash flow up, strategy works. There’s no real pressure to improve quality or change direction if the numbers keep going in the right direction.
That’s why I have a hard time with the “they need this to survive” argument. Gameloft is a public company. The goal isn’t just to keep the game alive, it’s to grow. When you look at it that way, changes to the economy feel less like necessity and more like keeping Vivendi's investors happy.
I’m not saying monetisation is inherently bad.
Curious what others think, especially if you see flaws in this reasoning!
Some caveats:
- These are total Gameloft numbers, not just Dreamlight Valley.
- I’m assuming DDV roughly follows overall trends (might not be true)
- We don’t know how much growth comes from in-game spending vs new players/DLC
Sources:
- Vivendi's 2025 results press release (March 12, 2026): https://www.vivendi.com/en/shareholders-investors/financial-publications-and-reports/financial-results/
- Interview with Alexandre de Rochefort (June 26, 2025): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6EYHKXcQ7c