Notes from the field on alternative app stores, OEM channels, telecom distribution, web-native formats and everything else that sits outside the standard route to market for mobile games.
Entitlements, notarization, builds and fees: the step-by-step checklist for listing a game on an alternative iOS marketplace in the EU, and what changes vs the App Store.
Transsion's Tecno, Infinix and itel brands own roughly 48% of Africa's smartphones. Palmstore is the preloaded default store — the distribution playbook for studios.
Aptoide is the first Apple-approved third-party iOS marketplace with native IAP, at 10-20% vs 30%. What its model means for EU game publishers.
Google Play's Billing Choice Program went live June 30, 2026: 10% on your first $1M, alternative billing, and a lower Games Level Up rate. Here's the real take-home math.
A practical game distribution framework for building a multi-channel stack: layer stores, OEM, carrier billing and web-native, and sequence them by studio stage.
Japan's Mobile Software Competition Act (MSCA) forces open third-party app stores and payments on iOS and Android. Why studios outside the EU should care.
Preload deals look enterprise-only, but mid-size studios close them every quarter. Who to talk to inside an OEM, what they actually want, and the deal structures that get signed.
Where direct carrier billing unlocks paying players that cards can't reach. A region-by-region reach map for publishers: India, Africa, LATAM, with APAC as the benchmark.
Skich and Onside are betting that a games-only app store beats a general-purpose marketplace for discovery. What that means for publishers in 2026.
Epic Games Store mobile is opening to self-publishing at 0%/12% fees. A publisher's guide to qualifying, prepping builds, and how it compares to the App Store.
Blended gaming CPI is up ~30% year-on-year and 47% in Europe, while 95% of installs churn in 30 days. The buy-growth playbook is broken — here's the distribution alternative.
Apple's Core Technology Fee is €0.50 per first annual install. Here's the break-even math for alt-store distribution, who the numbers work for, and who they don't.