It looks like GameFly, the Netflix of gaming, has decided to enter the mobile gaming space in a big way.
First, about a week back, it announced a partnership with Future US increasing their marketing reach:
The collaboration will encompass international 360-degree content, e-commerce and advertising. Both companies will also work on various content deals including cross-linking, mobile apps content and contextual e-commerce promotions.
The new deal will help grow GameFly’s audience and revenue by tapping Future’s established network of loyal gaming fans through both print and digital outlets, and will further GameFly’s ability to offer promotions for mobile titles that can be downloaded directly from GameFly onto iOS and Android devices. Simultaneously, this partnership will advance Future’s charge into the digital space by delivering an audience of over 10.8 million unique visitors, while expanding its GamesRadar network. Future’s media offerings will also be diversified by representing GameFly’s mobile app and GameFly Media in the advertising marketing sector.
Future US has a pretty impressive portfolio of gaming and tech magazines including PC Gamer as well as the official XBox and PlayStation magazines, so this is a pretty big deal for GameFly.
Then came todays big announcement of their iOS and Android development fund coupled with their upcoming Android game store:
GameFly will launch a development fund to support the creation of new mobile games, and expects to release its first title this summer. The company said it will seek to work with developers who are in the process of building great games but lack the financial resources necessary to properly publish and promote their efforts. GameFly is currently accepting submissions at [email protected].
The forthcoming GameFly GameStore, expected to reach Android smartphones and tablets in time for the holiday season, will curate thousands of recommended Android games and offer daily deals. Ratings and reviews from the gaming community will accompany all Android titles sold in GameFly GameStore; GameFly also will leverage its social networking platform to drive discovery via friend recommendations. The firm already offers a Game of the Day spotlight feature within its GameFly App for iOS.
Oddly enough, beyond the [email protected] email address, no official details at all have been released directly from GameFly.
In somewhat related news, Facebook have entered the mobile game space with their Send to Mobile, although their solution will utilize existing app stores.
Facebook has detailed how its upcoming dedicated games and applications solution App Center aims to help developers drive mobile installs through convenience for users.
When accessing apps through the mobile App Center, Facebook will redirect the user to the specific App Store or Google Play marketplace pages, or load the app if it has already been installed before.
A “Send to Mobile” button will also be added to the browser version of the App Center, which will automatically install the app on any device connected to the Facebook account. Facebook says that the simplicity of the approach will make it easier for developers to increase install bases for mobile games and apps.
Truly interesting times to be a indie game developer! With the horrid job Google did with the Android market, it’s nice to see Amazon, and soon GameFly and Sony enter the fray. Hopefully more developers will start making money on Android gaming now!
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