Apple and Google Offer Game Developers Promotional Boost In Exchange for Exclusivity

Apple and Google are battling for dominance in gaming, increasingly offering developers a promotional boost in exchange for exclusivity, according to the WSJ.

Last August, for the launch of "Plants Vs. Zombies 2," a highly anticipated sequel to a popular zombie-survival strategy game, publisher Electronic Arts Inc. struck a deal with Apple, which promoted the game prominently in its App Store, according to people familiar with the matter. In exchange, one of these people said, EA agreed to give Apple about a two-month window of exclusivity for the title, which wasn't released on Google's Android software until October.

Another example is ZeptoLab's sequel to 'Cut the Rope' which was introduced in December. Apple prominently promoted the game in exchange for it being exclusive to iOS for about three months.


Exclusivity is a common strategy for videogame consoles but it's fairly new to mobile games. Apple has reportedly escalated its efforts in this area and is determined to counter the rising influence of Android. The editorial team is factoring in exclusivity to a greater degree and is also giving more consideration to titles recommended by its developer-relations staff.

More details in the report linked below...

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