Skich, an app like Tinder for discovering mobile games, announced the launch of a new marketplace on Thursday that will take part in close competition with alternative game stores such as Aptoide and Epic Games.
The new alternative mobile game store, Skich Store, will be available to iOS users in the European Union. The company plans to begin adding titles at the end of March after the Game Developers Conference (GDC).
Skich's iOS Marketplace announcement follows the recent implementation of new regulations in the EU, known as the Digital Markets Act (DMA). DMA is looking to enhance fairness and competition by imposing a set of requirements and restrictions on tech giants like Apple. For example, iOS restricts the ban on third-party app stores.
The store interface is very similar to the current Skich app, and incorporates several social and discovery features. These include recommendation systems that allow users to “match” the game they enjoy by swiping left or right. Additionally, users can create game playlists, visit the Activities section to see what their friends are playing, view their developer profiles and explore more titles.
This is what Skich will be prominent as the app store doesn't usually contain these types of social mechanics.
The company earns a 15% commission on all purchases made within the Skich Store and all in-app purchases created from games downloaded from the market. In particular, this is the first time Skich has made money from the business, co-founder and CEO Sergey Budkovski told TechCrunch.
Meanwhile, Apple has stepped up a 30% reduction from developer revenue in the App Store, making Skich a potentially attractive option. However, compared to the established advantage of the App Store, which boasts millions of apps and games, Skich's potential struggle is to attract a large player base.
Skich claims that its web platform currently attracts 100,000 organic visitors per month.
Budkovski shared that in the near future, stores are expected to replace existing Skich apps. The Android version of the Skich Store will also be released in May.