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.
Since September 30, 2026, Android checks developer registration on installs from seven stores in four countries. What changes for OEM store publishers, and the checklist.
Hasbro booked $44M from MONOPOLY GO! in one quarter. What an IP licensor wants, what a minimum guarantee costs, and how a brand changes a studio's distribution.
Brazil opened iOS to alternative marketplaces, Google Play still charges 15%/30% across LATAM until 2027, and Pix carries a 3.5% IOF for foreign sellers.
Appcharge reports 97% of web store revenue comes from repeat buyers. Why a mobile game web shop only pays when you run it as a LiveOps product, not a checkout page.
PHYND signed Microids, Fishing Cactus and Plug In Digital for free ad-supported cloud gaming on TVs. What the deal covers, and what it still does not disclose.
vivo self-reports 200 million monthly V-Appstore users. What the store actually offers a game publisher in India and Southeast Asia — and what its docs never mention.
GeForce NOW needs players to already own your game. GameLift Streams bills you by the stream-hour. What cloud gaming really changes for a publisher's distribution.
Jest raised $7M to distribute games over SMS and RCS. Its own docs set a 90/10 split, one message per user per day and no rewarded ads — here is who should test it.
Listing a game on Onside's alternative iOS marketplace: eligibility, the submission flow, Onside's 10% commission stacked on Apple's fees, and EU vs Japan deltas.
Poki, CrazyGames, GameDistribution, Playgama, Telegram: the published revenue shares, payout thresholds and purchase gates behind HTML5 game monetization in 2026.
Playgama's Bridge SDK ships one HTML5 build to 20 documented portals. The published splits, the catalogue gates, and the exclusivity it costs — before you sign.
WebGPU is now default in Chrome, Safari 26 and iOS. A genre-by-genre readiness guide to which mobile titles should ship web-native in 2026 — and which should not.