Alternative app stores aren’t offering anything new for users, and Sonic Rumble insights | Week in Views

The games industry moves quickly and while stories may come and go there are some that we just can’t let go of…

So, to give those particularly thorny topics a further going over we’ve created a weekly digest where the members of the PocketGamer.biz team share their thoughts and go that little bit deeper on some of the more interesting things that have happened in mobile gaming in the past week.

Making alternative app stores appealing to players: Amilova’s plans to build a transmedia community

We’ve already posted analyses and opinion on some of the big news stories that have broken over the past week. Check out our Pocket Gamer Reacts video over on YouTube for our thoughts on Scopely’s blockbuster $3.5 billion acquisition of Niantic’s games business.

Meanwhile, in the latest newsletter I also delved into the spate of investment stories ahead of a big week in the games industry calendar: PGC SF and GDC.

One of the other big stories in mobile that’s been bubbling under is the news around alternative marketplaces. In February we had Aptoide launch its app store on iOS in the EU, while Skich has also released its own. Meanwhile, Samsung has fired its own shot across the bow: it’s reduced its revenue share to 80/20 in an effort to entice developers to its Galaxy Store.

To cap it off, we recently spoke with ChibiPhoenix CEO Adrien Bacchi about its ambitious plans to extend its Amoliva platform for manga and comics to games. The idea is to create marketplace where developers can work with creators in the community to extend an IP through other mediums.

Talk of Amilova’s own plans led to a discussion about the wider alternative app store space. In the PC market, Epic Games has struggled to make a dent on Steam. Player spending on PC through Epic Payments was down 18% year-over-year to $255 million in 2024. Overall revenue was up Y/Y, which is great news for Epic as the Fortnite company, but not so great as a vibrant marketplace.

Xbox’s planned store, meanwhile, is AWOL. (Did it ever truly exist in any real form?).

Just a couple weeks ago, I wrote about the uphill task all alternative stores face challenging a monopoly and changing habits.

What struck me talking with Bacchi is how many challengers to the leading marketplaces are focusing their efforts on courting developers and publishers, often with low fees and better discovery (at least initially for the latter, largely due to a lack of apps).

The key missing ingredient, however, is what’s in it for the user? It’s easy to break a developer habit – they can release on any mobile platform (though they may fall foul of the App Store’s alternative business terms).

But how do you convince a user to download your store and then keep using it? A shiny new interface and some free games has been proven not to carve out a significant market share. There’s a gap in the market emerging that no one has cracked. Though I do think Skich is on to something with its Tinder-like discovery.

(I previously spoke about how Apple, Google and Steam tackle discoverability, with the latter the only to truly improve the user experience).

For all the great things that come out of the games industry, it can be very insular at times, focusing on what developers want. Virtual reality seems like the prime example here.

With all these stores emerging, I hope they start developing something truly innovative that doesn’t just give developers better terms, but offers consumers a must-have experience.

Behind the scenes of Sonic Rumble’s delay, development and the Rovio x Sega partnership

I recently had the chance to speak with Rovio’s head of beacon growth Veli Kiviaho about Sonic Rumble’s development, post-launch goals, the power of the Sonic IP and reasons behind Rumble’s delay.

It was originally planned for a winter launch, but was pushed to spring largely based on the decision to add new features and make that global release as likely to succeed as possible.

In practice, this means Rovio’s currently working on a Quick Rumble mode to improve accessibility for busy players, but also more competitive elements for the hardcore fans.

We also discussed why now is the right time for Sonic’s first multiplayer party royale, with Kiviaho highlighting the recent movie Sonic the Hedgehog 3 as one recent boon for the brand.

For more behind-the-scenes insights on Rovio’s involvement in the game and potential learnings from the Sonic franchise to be applied elsewhere, be sure to check out the full interview.