When you consider free-to-play video games within the 12 months 2022, you are typically fascinated by video games on the iOS App Store and Google Play Store. It’s a market of gamers who do not typically have interaction with the bigger online game financial system, however are additionally devoted to easy, colourful video games that assist them go the time.

Apple and Google’s first-party shops are clearly titanic income drivers for the free-to-play enterprise, however they are not the solely shops. Samsung’s Android gadgets can entry the Samsung App Store, and Amazon has an app retailer that is also the first service for its Android-adjacent Fire tablets.

Players within the free-to-play world are additionally nonetheless downloading video games on the Windows Store on their laptops or PCs. At least, that is in accordance Vladimir Romanov, head of App Store Optimization at cell sport writer ZiMad. ZiMad publishes video games like Magic Jigsaw Puzzles, Dig Out!, and Domino Online.

In a chat with Game Developer, Romanov was capable of share why ZiMad places within the effort to ship video games on different sport shops. He supplied some helpful knowledge that may enable you to have a look at these shops in a special gentle—particularly in case your target market is already procuring there.

Using your best-performing sport to really feel out new platforms

Obviously, any cell sport writer making an attempt out new shops is doing so as a result of it is hoping there’s revenue available within the effort. It’s not shocking that ZiMad targets different app shops as a result of it needs to make its app portfolio as profitable as doable.

But in accordance with Romanov, the method is not simply so simple as including a brand new retailer to the staff’s publishing lineup. The firm’s technique when contemplating any new retailer is to first publish Magic Jigsaw Puzzles to evaluate efficiency and get quantitative metrics. “It’s fairly a mature utility that has been put in over 110 million occasions since 2011, and its quantity of installs and in-game purchases stay excessive to at the present time,” Romanov defined. “Our objective is to scale our success and income by participating extra audiences unavailable on [the] App Store or Google Play Store for varied causes.”

Romanov shared some fascinating statistics that guided ZiMad’s technique on the Amazon App Store. According to him, Amazon’s Fire tablets take up 10 % of the world market—wherever from 1,000,000 to 1.5 million of the gadgets are bought every month. Because Amazon would not let different shops function on the platform (Tim Sweeney are you studying this?), ZiMad’s video games aren’t cannibalizing its income efforts elsewhere.

Alternative app shops apparently usher in a “substantial” a part of ZiMad’s income. The Amazon AppStore contributes to 30 % of Magic Jigsaw Puzzles’ income, a worth that Romanov says is “comparable” to the Google Play Store.

Interestingly, completely different monetization strategies drive completely different income streams on the completely different different shops. The Amazon App Store model of Magic Jigsaw Puzzles primarily drives income by in-game ads. Romanov credited that efficiency to the truth that “80 % of [Amazon App Store] customers are from the US.” Because gamers primarily based within the United States are among the many highest-paying audiences, that prime focus drives “substantial income and excessive buy conversion.”

On the Microsoft Store, there’s additional cash earned by in-game purchases. “The procuring metrics there are akin to these on the [iOS] App Store,” Romanov defined. That’s apparently as a result of Windows Store customers have the next means and willingness to spend that cash.

Romanov does warning that Magic Jigsaw Puzzles‘ means to earn 30 % in income from alternate shops is “extra of an exception,” that is pushed by the sport’s current reputation. Across ZiMad’s total portfolio, these metrics are “2-2.5 occasions” decrease. He says that on different video games, different app shops solely usher in 10-15 % of income from different tasks.

“Our objective is to scale our success and income by participating extra audiences unavailable on [the] App Store or Google Play Store for varied causes.”

ZiMad’s expertise with alternate app shops has led the corporate to prioritize delivery new titles on the Amazon App Store over the Microsoft Store. Shipping any app on the Amazon App Store means simply modifying the Android app being bought on the Google Play Store, however a Microsoft Store app needs to be constructed from scratch.

Microsoft itself appears to pay attention to the benefits right here. Windows 11 features a characteristic that lets customers activate Android apps by way of the Amazon App Store. Amazon’s curiosity in getting builders to publish on the platform signifies that it usually lets builders supply “Amazon Coins” to gamers that can be utilized to accumulate in-game forex. Romanov mentioned that Amazon’s technique does “encourage gamers to make purchases,” and that he is noticed a “greater” in-app buy conversion charge amongst gamers who use the Coin system.

Free-to-play builders nonetheless discovering their sea legs within the cell market would possibly wish to study from ZiMad’s success. Romanov did advise any builders leaping onto the Amazon App Store to be ready to do App Store Optimization evaluation “manually.”

“The retailer is not supported by fashionable ASO providers,” he mentioned. “The excellent news is that search leads to the Amazon App Store are the identical within the net model and on Amazon gadgets.”

Translation: You will not want to make use of an Amazon gadget to carry out ASO evaluation. Navigating by your browser will suffice. Romanov additionally defined that whereas Amazon has a conventional retailer fee payment of 30 %, that quantity drops to twenty % in case your whole income is lower than $1 million per 12 months. Amazon apparently additionally affords reductions on improvement providers if you happen to’re energetic on its App Store. 

Romanov finally urged builders to not ignore different storefronts, saying that “high-quality merchandise” are prone to be observed by customers energetic on different platforms. If bigger builders aren’t already energetic on these storefronts, they is perhaps an opportunity so that you can begin connecting with a brand new viewers.