Amazon Underground brings paid apps to Android users across Europe for free
Amazon Underground brings paid apps to Android users across Europe for free
Amazon’s releasing its new Underground app for Android in 16 new European regions today, including Ireland, Italy, Spain, Belgium and Switzerland.
Users in these countries will now be able to enjoy free access to games and apps that would otherwise cost money in Amazon’s and Google’s app stores. According to Amazon, Underground has over $10,000 worth of free games and apps, like Monument Valley and Star Wars Rebels: Recon Missions.
The program makes apps available for free to users by paying developers for the time people spend on their creations. It’s likely a way for the company to increase the number of apps available for its own devices out of the box, but Android users at large can take advantage of Underground’s free offerings.
Android users on non-Amazon devices will need to download the APK installer from Amazon’s site.
Rovio, the creators of Angry Birds, made its four apps available on Underground at launch. Tero Raji, SVP of game business said:
In the first month since launch of these games, the Amazon Underground model has brought us up to three times more revenue compared to the same games’ user revenue in the Amazon Appstore previously.
It certainly is a new model that creators will no longer be relying on in-app purchases to generate revenue, but it might not work as well for smaller unknown games, which can’t rely on becoming hugely popular fast enough to generate enough cash to keep a business going.
For customers though, it certainly is a better solution.
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