Mac, PC and Web-based game developers can now increase reach and
monetization by offering customers the ability to use their Amazon
account to make in-app purchases of virtual goods and currencies
Amazon’s In-App Purchasing for Mac, PC and Web-based games joins a
family of Amazon services that help developers move more quickly,
increase engagement, sell more content and reach new customers
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 22, 2013--
(NASDAQ:AMZN)—Further expanding its multi-platform, end-to-end offering
for game developers, Amazon today announced a new In-App Purchasing
service that enables developers to let customers use their Amazon
accounts to purchase virtual goods and currencies from within Mac, PC
and Web-based games. With today’s announcement, Amazon now provides
In-App Purchasing services for Mac, PC and Web, Android and Kindle Fire
developers, enabling them to offer Amazon’s millions of customers a
convenient, trusted and secure buying experience. To get started
developers can visit: http://developer.amazon.com/games/in-app-purchasing.
Benefits for developers with Amazon’s new In-App Purchasing for Mac, PC
and Web-based games include:
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Customers can use any credit card, gift certificate or promotional
credit associated with their current Amazon account to purchase in-app
items—making it simple and low friction for customers to purchase
content and leading to higher sales and increased conversion.
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Developers automatically have access to Amazon’s proven fraud
detection technology, thereby reducing their exposure to fraud.
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All transactions are supported by Amazon’s world-class, top-rated
Customer Service to provide customers with the very best purchasing
experience.
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To help developers with game discovery and marketing, in-app items
will automatically be available on Amazon.com, and in-app purchases
can show up on best seller lists, recommendations and merchandising
campaigns, helping customers discover new games and items, while
adding another point of engagement for existing players.
“We’re passionate about making game developers successful, and we’ll
continue to build services that make monetization easier and remove
undifferentiated heavy lifting from developers,” said Mike Frazzini,
Director Amazon Games. “Game developers build games that are used across
multiple platforms and mediums. In-App Purchasing for Mac, PC and
Web-based games is our latest service that helps game developers grow
their business and increase their customer-base. For years, Amazon has
focused on making the online shopping experience as frictionless as
possible, and we are excited to share this expertise and technology so
that game developers can offer customers this same great experience.”
In-App Purchasing for Mac, PC and Web-based games is a part of a larger
family of end-to-end services for game developers. From Amazon Web
Services (AWS) building blocks like Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon
EC2), Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3), and Amazon Dynamo DB
used for backend infrastructure, to services like Game Circle (which
includes capabilities like Achievements, Leaderboards, Friends, and
Whispersync for Games across devices) that enable developers to create
more engaging gaming experiences, to services like A/B Testing and Game
Connect (which lets developers marry the ease and security of shopping
on Amazon with the convenience of having virtual goods delivered
directly to customers’ game accounts), to providing distribution to
millions of Amazon customers via the Amazon Appstore for Android and the
Digital Games Store on Amazon.com, Amazon provides the most complete
platform for game developers.
“We were excited to work with Amazon on integrating In-App Purchasing
into Forsaken Planet,” said David Sterling, Vice President of Sony
DADC's LOOT Entertainment. “Giving gamers the option to buy in-game
goods using their Amazon account makes it easier for them to get what
they want without ever having to leave the game environment.”
“We love that Amazon will allow players of FreeFall Tournament to buy
virtual items using the same login credentials and payment information
they already have on file with Amazon.com. We think it will help
minimize buying friction,” said Chris Scholz, CEO of Free Range Games.
“We also feel good knowing Amazon is very trusted and secure, and we
think it will give our players the same degree of confidence that they
have when purchasing any other item on Amazon.com.”
“When we discovered that Amazon was offering In-App Purchasing for PC,
Mac and Web-based games, we were eager to participate. Amazon has worked
closely with our publishing platform team and gone the extra mile to
make sure our implementation will be fast and easy for our upcoming
action-RPG game KingsRoad,” said Mark Spenner, GM, Rumble Entertainment.
“Amazon’s In-App Purchasing creates an opportunity for increased
discoverability, and we are excited that our in-game items will be
offered to the very large Amazon customer base.”
About Digital Games Store for PC, Mac and Web-based Games
The Amazon Digital Games store offers customers more than 3,000 games
including free-to-play and massively multiplayer online games, and makes
it easy for developers to distribute their Mac, PC and Web-based games.
Developers can visit the Getting
Started Page to find out more information.
About Amazon Appstore for Kindle Fire and Android
The Amazon Appstore for Android is where customers can find, discover
and buy tens of thousands of apps and games using Amazon’s convenient
and trusted shopping features, including personalized recommendations,
customer reviews and best seller lists. Amazon Appstore has a broad
selection of paid and free apps and games, including established best
sellers and new apps from top-tier brands. To learn more, developers can
visit the Mobile App Distribution Portal at https://developer.amazon.com/welcome.html.
About Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle,
opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth’s
Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth’s most
customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything
they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the
lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of
unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Books;
Movies, Music & Games; Digital Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home
& Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby; Grocery; Apparel, Shoes & Jewelry; Health &
Beauty; Sports & Outdoors; and Tools, Auto & Industrial. Amazon Web
Services provides Amazon’s developer customers with access to
in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon’s own back-end
technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any
type of business. Kindle Paperwhite is the most-advanced e-reader ever
constructed with 62% more pixels and 25% increased contrast, a patented
built-in front light for reading in all lighting conditions, extra-long
battery life, and a thin and light design. The new latest generation
Kindle, the lightest and smallest Kindle, now features new, improved
fonts and faster page turns. Kindle Fire HD features a stunning custom
high-definition display, exclusive Dolby audio with dual stereo
speakers, high-end, laptop-grade Wi-Fi with dual-band support,
dual-antennas and MIMO for faster streaming and downloads, enough
storage for HD content, and the latest generation processor and graphics
engine—and it is available in two display sizes—7” and 8.9”. The
large-screen Kindle Fire HD is also available with 4G wireless, and
comes with a groundbreaking $49.99 introductory 4G LTE data package. The
all-new Kindle Fire features a 20% faster processor, 40% faster
performance, twice the memory, and longer battery life.
Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com,
www.amazon.co.uk,
www.amazon.de,
www.amazon.co.jp,
www.amazon.fr,
www.amazon.ca,
www.amazon.cn,
www.amazon.it,
www.amazon.es
and www.amazon.com.br.
As used herein, “Amazon.com,” “we,” “our” and similar terms include
Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates
otherwise.
Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning
of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly
from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve
risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to
competition, management of growth, new products, services and
technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international
expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment center
optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and
strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption,
inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud. More
information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's
financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual
Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.
Source: Amazon.com, Inc.
Amazon.com, Inc.
Media Hotline, 206-266-7180
www.amazon.com/pr
