AppLovin Corporation (NASDAQ: APP) saw its stock soar 5.25% in pre-market trading on Wednesday, following the company's stronger-than-expected Q3 earnings report released on Tuesday after the close.
The mobile app technology firm reported revenues of $1.2 billion for the third quarter, up 38.6% year-over-year and exceeding analysts' expectations by 5.9%. The robust topline growth was driven primarily by AppLovin's software platform business, which facilitates ad monetization for mobile games and apps.
AppLovin has been shifting its focus away from its own mobile game studio to become an advertising exchange platform. According to the earnings report, the "software platform" segment now accounts for the majority of total revenue as adoption of AppLovin's MAX solution increases among gaming partners like KAYAC, Playgendary and Idea Solutions.
However, an opinion piece raised concerns about AppLovin potentially benefiting from related-party transactions and circular revenue within a network of Cyprus-based game studios. The author alleges that many of AppLovin's top gaming partners are merely click-farm optimized to serve ads within the ecosystem, questioning the sustainability of the growth story.