UPDATED 14:15 EDT / APRIL 24 2014

Apple and Google tussle for exclusive mobile games

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The competition for best video game platform has extended into the mobile games category and the players are none other than two heavyweights in the mobile space: Google and Apple. According to a report shared in the Wall Street Journal, Apple and Google are trying to gain exclusivity for the titles of top games, as both companies try to grab exclusives for their own platforms.

The Journal report says Apple and Google are offering promotional placement to game developers in exchange for timed exclusivity. Advertising in the app store can be very lucrative because it places software right in front of the customer using the device–and, should Apple or Google choose to promote that app it’s free advertising. Although the report claims no money is changing hands, Apple’s iOS App Store and Android’s Google Play Store can have a huge impact on sales, so developers have a strong incentive to consider these deals.

The edge that Apple and Google are looking here is not lifetime exclusives, but the ability to bring a game to market before competitors.

The best example here is probably for Plants vs. Zombies 2, and ZeptoLab both from Electronic Arts that reportedly agreed to a two-month exclusivity window at the Apple App Store.

What examples do we have for Android? The report says that Google has helped promote apps that “integrate Android branding.” In one deal, with Russian developer Game Insight. Google offered a discount on in-game items shaped like Android’s robot mascot. Google has also reportedly made exclusive deals with ZeptoLabs, the maker of Cut the Rope, in the past. Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VI and Gree’s Rage of the Immortals also stayed a one-month head start on Android before moving to other mobile platforms.

According to the WSJ, Apple has formed a far more aggressive strategy in recent months, which is not quite surprising because of the global market share of Android–which holds 51% of the smartphone market according to a comScore report. Titles from Electronic Arts and ZeptoLabs were featured prominently in the iOS store–including ZeptoLabs’s Cut the Rope sequel that was introduced in the Apple App Store—where it received a heavy marketing push—three months ahead of its Android launch. The campaign includes things like free promotion, marketing, and other items. The other popular games hitting iOS first were Threes, Deus Ex: The Fall, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Hearthstone, The Room 2 and Ridiculous Fishing.

Maturation of the mobile gaming space

Google and Apple aren’t the only companies vying for exclusives on games for mobile devices. Rival Amazon, which recently launched its own video streaming box and gaming console, is also said to be seeking exclusive deals with gaming developers. Amazon has been long rumored to be working on its own smartphone.

Such exclusive arraignments come as no real surprise. According to an industry analysis from a joint IHS and App Annie study, video gaming apps comprise more than 70% of the $16 billion that consumers paid for mobile apps in 2013. And a recent report by analytics firm App Annie, The Google Play store raced ahead in most downloads during the first quarter of this year and exceeded Apple Store downloads by about 45 percent. But, Apple offers more money than its competitor to developers. This explains why game developers would be interested in accepting exclusivity deals, as prominent placement in app stores would help them significantly increase profits.

“Videogames are critical applications,” said Patrick Mork, a former director of global marketing for Google’s app store and CEO of mobile- game company Unspoken Tales. “Not only is it where people are spending their time and money, they also showcase the power of computing on their devices.”

photo credit: Toni Blay via photopin cc


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