Gameloft Skips Android Market, More Games Available Direct
Yesterday Gameloft added 10 more titles to the library of games that can be download directly from their website in addition to the Android Market to test various distribution models. Now up for sale and download as unsigned apps are Assassin’s Creed, Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X., and Asphalt 5 among others. Baudouin Corman, vice president of publishing, recently told Wired that he feels Android is in the developing stages of game distribution, and they want to test as many avenues for getting new games to handsets as possible.
Of course, the benefits of companies being able to forego the Android Market also come with some drawbacks. Aside from having your credit card information easily stored and accessed for quick purchases when using the market, some carriers have notoriously blocked the ability to install unsigned apps to their devices. I tend to think a fragmented market could create problems, especially if users don’t know where to go to obtain the apps they want. For now, Gameloft offers both methods, so that problem is avoided, but what do you think about this distribution model?
[via Wired]