Feature: Three App Stores, Three Opportunities?

Author: by Staff

In Gamasutra's latest feature, Paul Hyman speaks to reps from three non-Apple app stores to compare and contrast the opportunities offered -- speaking to Nokia, Google, and GetJar. "The Android Market is really an investment on our part to make certain that the Android ecosystem has an open distribution model for developers and users," said Eric Chu, group manager, Android development ecosystem. Meanwhile, Nokia characterizes its Ovi Store with its broad reach -- 135-plus devices from regular to smartphones. Billing models are also slightly different. "One is credit card billing -- just like the App Store -- and the second is operator billing which practically no one else does. In the U.S., we work with both AT&T and T-Mobile and globally we work with 99 operators in 29 different markets around the world," said Alex Bubb, senior partner manager for Ovi Games. GetJar, on the other hand, contrasts in business model: "GetJar is very different; we don't charge the developer and we don't charge to download any of the content. So, basically, there is no revenue to share," said chief marketing officer Patrick Mork. To find out more about these three platforms, read the full feature, Exploring The App Store Alternatives, live now on Gamasutra.