It is time for Round 3 of the battle over Amazon’s App Store for Android and the Developer Agreement that everyone signs when registering to submit games (or apps) onto the App Store. In response to Amazon’s clarification regarding the Developer Agreement last week, the IGDA has pointed out that there is still a glaring issue at hand.
In a nutshell, Amazon’s response to IGDA’s initial open-letter regarding the App Store for Android was short and sweet simply stating that there was an old version of the Developer’s Agreement laying around that had not been updated to reflect the recent changes which is in the new version. However, the IGDA has now pointed out in response to this that Amazon is still in possession of way too much control over the pricing of games that developers submit to the App Store.
Official IGDA response:
Amazon’s clarification fails to address game developer concerns
The IGDA is pleased that Amazon has shown a willingness to clarify its distribution terms, so that all versions on the Amazon site are consistent. However, the majority of our concerns remain unaddressed.
Amazon is still reserving the right to pay developers just 20% of their minimum list price at any time, without notification or advance approval. Additionally, Amazon is still unilaterally preventing developers from ever making an exclusive promotional deal with another marketplace.
In summary, Amazon’s terms still enable it to steeply discount a game developer’s content without permission — a tactic Amazon could easily use to force game developers to absorb the cost for Amazon to compete with other app stores.
We are not impressed with Amazon’s recent gesture, nor is this matter the result of a misunderstanding. We believe that Amazon’s terms, as they currently stand, represent a threat to game developers.
We encourage everyone to join the conversation. Please make your feelings known directly to Amazon and through your network, blogs and websites.
The IGDA Board of Directors
It will be interesting to see how Amazon responds to this newest post by the IGDA. Of course we always like to hear your opinion as well so feel free to leave your 2 cents about the whole thing in the comments below. I do think the IGDA (International Game Developers Association) is ready to battle it out. This reply was much shorter and to the point.
Website Referenced: IGDA Blog
