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.
A market-by-market SEA distribution playbook: OEM preloads, carrier billing and alt stores across Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines — for publishers going beyond Google Play.
KYLN bundles Huawei, Samsung and Xiaomi OEM distribution with user acquisition on one platform. How the aggregator model compares to direct OEM deals for mid-size studios.
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 took 48% of African smartphone shipments in 2025. Palmstore is their built-in 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 2026 fee stack: the $25 registration fee, service fee tiers, India/Korea alternative billing rates, and the real subscription cost.
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.