Game Developers Express Distaste with Amazon Appstore Pricing Policies
An email sent to members of the International Game Developers Association today, the organization took issue with the pricing of games on the Amazon Appstore, claiming the retailer is using “developer’s content as a weapon with which to capture marketshare from competing app stores.” The statement contends that Amazon’s pricing policies will have a negative impact on developers in the long run.
Amazon requires that developers lower application pricing permanently to match discounted prices in competing app markets, even if the discount is only temporary. The IGDA doesn’t believe Amazon should lower prices on games that are selling well, thus reducing income for the developer. Amazon is currently working with the IGDA to address these concerns, but the organization fears that as their Appstore becomes increasingly popular, developers will have little choice but to submit to whatever terms the retailer requests lest their games miss out on sales from the app market.
The IDGA’s concerns are only the most recent in a long history of developer complaints about the profitability of Android apps and games. Game distributor Gameloft is one company which flat-out skipped over the Android Market due to fears of software piracy and now offers their titles via the Amazon Appstore, a big win for the retail giant. The IDGA is primarily focused on independent developers. Amazon has yet to issue an official response.
[via Reuters]