Leading digital payments firm, PhonePe, recently announced the launch of its android-based appstore called Indus. Now, the platform has onboarded apps like Dream11, Nazara Technologies, Gameskraft, A23, Rummy Passion, RummyCulture, and Mobile Premier League (MPL).
The Made in India appstore was announced back in September and was launched to help developers counter Google’s hefty commissions. With Play Store, Google is known to charge as high as 30% commission from the downloads of apps on its platform.
Co-founder of Indus Akash Dongre also came forward to announce the onboarding of online gaming apps across multiple categories.
“We are thrilled to welcome these gaming giants to the Indus Appstore family. Their expertise and commitment to delivering top-notch gaming experiences align seamlessly with our vision. Together, we look forward to crafting the next growth story in the Indian gaming industry,” Dongre said to Moneycontrol.
Before going public, the platform marketed benefits like zero commission for in-app payments, waiver of first year’s listing fees, real-time analytics, launchpad program, mobile number-based login and others. This prompted real money gaming (RMG) companies to launch their apps on Indus, which relieved them off unnecessary expenses.
Notably, RMG industry is currently going through rough waters affected by increased GST burdens. On top of that, publishing apps on Play Store reduces the revenue significantly. However, despite being a large market, the alternatives were not good.
Indus offers ‘Indian’ features for increased reach and accessibility
The marketplace promises to be easier for people as it does not require an email account for logging in. A simple phone number-based login system helps in reducing the tussle of creating an email account for the same.
For increased accessibility, the platform will also feature 12 Indian languages apart from English. This will help developers reach wider audiences and will also make navigation and UI easier countrywide.
Speaking about the platform, COO of Nazara Tech, Sudhir Kamath said, “Our dedication to bringing diverse gaming experiences to players across different platforms aligns perfectly with Indus Appstore’s vision of empowering users with a variety of quality apps. We’re thrilled to join this innovative platform, further expanding our reach and offering our engaging games to a broader audience.”
Ahead of the launch, Indus has already partnered with Nokia and Lava to integrate the marketplace in their smartphones. Support for more devices is also expected in the near future.