App Developer Pulls Popular App from the Amazon App Store

[IBNobody]

Bithack, the indie developer behind Apparatus, pulled the game from the Amazon App Store yesterday. The game was one of the "free app-of-the-day" promotions last week, and it comes highly recommended.

The dev pulled it because of how the Amazon App Store operates.

The dev's blog is very well written, and it gives a glimpse of what indie app devs are faced with when releasing content on the Amazon App Store.

http://bithack.se/news/apparatus-amazon-july-4-2011.html

We're sorry to announce that we have decided to pull Apparatus from Amazon Appstore.

Publishing Apparatus on Amazon Appstore didn't work out as well as we had hoped for several reasons outlined below. If you are one of the customers who bought Apparatus through Amazon Appstore, please scroll down to the bottom of this page for information on how you can obtain a free copy from Android Market instead.

The following is a personal opinion of Amazon Appstore and might contain some technical terms.

If you want to try the game...
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.bithack.apparatus
[youtube]tBkru6_BoPs[/youtube]

 

[Celice]

Whoa. It looks like Crayon Physics - next gen XD

EDIT: Oh, not crayon physics. that one homebrew DS game which is a lot like this. Forget the name :E

 

[raulpica]

Man, that Amazon AppStore is a complete disaster, from what I've read on his blog.

...And that's why he should publish his game on the Apple AppStore

inb4applehaters

 

[Technik]

It's like LBP meets....Bubbleball.

 

[Terminator02]

i got this when i was free, it's unfortunate to read how the amazon app store really is that terrible towards small developers

 

[Sausage Head]

Whoa. It looks like Crayon Physics - next gen XD

EDIT: Oh, not crayon physics. that one homebrew DS game which is a lot like this. Forget the name :E

pocket physics, based on crayon physics

 

[Minox]

Whoa. It looks like Crayon Physics - next gen XD

EDIT: Oh, not crayon physics. that one homebrew DS game which is a lot like this. Forget the name :E

I think you're referring to Pocket Physics.

Edit: Ninja'd

 

[RupeeClock]

That does indeed sound like the Amazon app store works in a very hindering way, the developers cannot even respond to their product reviews? The product, despite being developed in sweden, can only be bought in america? That a suspicious review about needing to contact the ad-server before the game launches, much to the developer's surprise?
Even worse, that Amazon changed the price of the app without so much as contacting bithack? That amazon will even sell the app to non-compatible android devices, as specified by the developers themselves?

Dreadful, absolutely dreadful.
Much like how bithack make a great effort to provide a quality product to the app store customers, amazon need to make a great effort to provide a quality service to any developers using their market, and clearly they have not.

The "Most helpful review" works both ways Amazon, be assured that if I get an android device at some point, I won't be using the Amazon App Store.

 

[Frederica Bernkastel]

Would I be correct in presuming that in order to claim the free app of the day, you need to submit your credit-card information to Amazon?
I grabbed it while Peggle was app of the day, and gave up at that stage (while I do have a credit-card, I don't approve of sites that track that sort of information when they're supposedly never going to use it)

Overall it seems like Indie developers are being exploited. Team Meat's exposé of working with both Microsoft and Apple, and now this gives the impression that larger companies are trying to cash in on the success of more talented and creative developers.
As much as I hate (okay, maybe I don't hate) to say this, VALVe has been excellent with handling indie companies - the Potato ARG, Terraria and Frozen Synapse are all examples of developers extremely happy with VALVe. Oh and this is for their PC based content (specifically games) distribution system. Who said PC gaming was dead?

Man, that Amazon AppStore is a complete disaster, from what I've read on his blog.

...And that's why he should publish his game on the Apple AppStore

inb4applehaters

the Amazon AppStore is one of many attempts to abuse the open-ended nature of Android to generate profit and establish control.
The Android Marketplace has always been, and will continue to be the only acceptable way of obtaining apps. I mean it even does OTA updates/installations, how can anything really compete with that? And unlike iTunes and the AppStore, once you buy something it's yours forever. No matter how many devices you own. The license fee is also affordable, only $20 one-off, compared to Apple's rather steep $99/year.

 

[Terminator02]

i remember arguing with prowler (i think) over the amazon app store, he said that you didn't need to put in a credit card, so i installed it and tried to download something, but it said than i didn't have automatic payment set up, so i had to give it my credit card, then it let me 'purchase' the free app of the day for $0.00, you always get an email for every free app of the day u 'purchase'

I'll continue using the amazon app store, soley for the free app of the day, because i have discovered some great apps from it, and gotten the full versions of games i already had for free. It's awesome getting free stuff.

and @antoligy i'm pretty sure with the apple appstore u can download apps to any device as long as you're signed in with the same itunes account, it's the same way it the android market and google accounts, and i imagine it would be the same with amazon and amazon accounts

 

[SifJar]

That does indeed sound like the Amazon app store works in a very hindering way, the developers cannot even respond to their product reviews?
They can, but only if they purchase the app themselves (which seems ridiculous, even if it is a small price), but because it is only available in USA, this particular dev couldn't do that.

The product, despite being developed in sweden, can only be bought in america?
Amazon's App Store is relatively new, so hasn't rolled out beyond USA yet. I'm sure eventually apps will be available world wide, or at least in most countries.

That a suspicious review about needing to contact the ad-server before the game launches, much to the developer's surprise?
To be fair, Amazon can't control what reviews are posted. The only real solution is to allow the dev to respond to the review.

QUOTEEven worse, that Amazon changed the price of the app without so much as contacting bithack?

This shocked me a lot. Does that mean bithack are suddenly getting less? Presumably they get a set percentage per sale? (Dunno how Amazon store works, perhaps they get a set figure per sale in which case it wouldn't necessarily lose money (except that it reinforces the idea that it is ad-supported, so may reduce number of sales)

QUOTE

That amazon will even sell the app to non-compatible android devices, as specified by the developers themselves?

This is quite frankly ridiculous. Considering there is a manifest which specifies exactly which phones it won't work with, there is no excuse for selling to those devices.

Amazon need to get their act together if their app store is going to be successful. The only thing I can see going for it is the Free App of the Day.

On a side-note: With various app stores for Android, are certain apps cheaper from different stores? Has it reached the point where it pays to shop around and find the best deal? (I don't have an Android phone, but I'm curious)

 

[TheDreamLord]

Whoa. It looks like Crayon Physics - next gen XD

EDIT: Oh, not crayon physics. that one homebrew DS game which is a lot like this. Forget the name :E

pocket physics?

 

[shakirmoledina]

i can say tht a worthy opponent to such a game is crazy machines. simpler but still very fun and its even on the ds (besides the pc which has CM1 and CM2)

 

[IBNobody]

One of the criticisms of the Amazon App Store is that the devs can't stop Amazon from adjusting the price.

https://developer.amazon.com/help/faq.html#Appstore Developer Program Overview

Amazon will pay developers 70% of the sale price of the app or 20% of the list price, whichever is greater.

So if an app is listed for $10, and it is on sale for $1, the dev gets $2 (20% of $10)

 

[prowler]

i remember arguing with prowler (i think)

No, it wasn't me.
I've never used the Amazon App (SPACE) Store because I'm from England.

 

[ProtoKun7]

i remember arguing with prowler (i think)

No, it wasn't me.
I've never used the Amazon App (SPACE) Store because I'm from England.

You can be from England and still use it if you happen to be in America.
Oh well.

 

[cwstjdenobs]

Man, that Amazon AppStore is a complete disaster, from what I've read on his blog.

...And that's why he should publish his game on the Apple AppStore

inb4applehaters

Best option, put it on both the Android Market and the AppStore...


I'm sure they are planning it in the long run.

 

[Frederica Bernkastel]

Its currently one of the most popular Market Apps, so I guess things are finally going his way.

 

[SifJar]

Its currently one of the most popular Market Apps, so I guess things are finally going his way.

That is possibly largely down to people buying it from Android Market after they had already done so on Amazon. Although if they get a refund that might not be the case...perhaps he hasn't issued the refunds quite yet. Also, if this news is posted on a few sites, it could give a bit extra publicity. I know I had never heard of it before this post.