Amazon has added in-app purchase support for Android games available via its Appstore, allowing game developers to offer digital content and subscriptions in-game.
The Amazon Appstore launched last year, with Amazon users able to purchase and download Android apps through Amazon using any web browser, or through the Amazon Appstore Android app.
With this latest move, Amazon hopes to attract more Android users to its Appstore, with secure 1-Click purchasing and what it says is simple and seamless integration of the service into any Android title available via its Appstore.
A number of big-name Android developers have already integrated the service into their games, including Disney, Glu Mobile, ZeptoLab, Gameloft and G5 Entertainment.
Aaron Rubenson, director of the Amazon Appstore, said that the new service will allow developers to generate even more revenue from games available via the online store, giving them access to millions of Amazon users who utilize the 1-Click payment system.
"Many of Amazon Appstore's customers have shopped with Amazon before and they trust Amazon's easy payment process," he noted, "which leads to higher conversion of developers' in-app content and subscriptions."
OK well it's good that it's finally here. Not so good that it's another API which Android developers need to get their heads around and implement. Which means more development and testing costs in an already fragmented market which seems to offer very poor returns for most devs. As a developer trying to make sense of the Android games space it's difficult for me to see how I can make enough money from it to justify the effort involved. IOS may be over crowded but it sure is simple by comparison :(
Hmmm posted twice by mistake so I'll take this opportunity to point out that installs of my app on kindle fire outnumber other installs on any other android device by 5 to 1. The numbers are still woefully small compared to what I need to make money but still...
