Applorer Gamebox, which shields users from crappy Android games, hits 10,000 downloads

 

The bad thing about Android phones, at least from the consumer’s perspective, is that any genius can create a mobile game and upload it to the Google Play store, even if it’s atrociously bad.

Applorer Gamebox, a game discovery app store by the creators of MoVend, hopes to give users a better experience. It basically handpicks the best free games available on Android, so that users can get a curated list of quality titles.

Jeremy Ee, marketing executive at Singapore-based Stream Media, tells me that games are picked based on their ratings. Staff also play the games themselves to ensure the five-star ratings aren’t bogus.

In March, it has garnered 10,000 downloads across all app stores. Half of those are monthly active users. While the app is targeted at Asians, about 50 percent of the downloads come from USA and Europe, with Southeast Asia making up 30 percent. In total, about 35,000 games have already been downloaded through Applorer.

To promote the app among Singaporean, Malaysian, and Australian users, they will be starting a marketing campaign next week with SingTel MyAppsMall, an app store by SingTel, Singapore’s largest mobile operator.

They have launched a different version of the app for MyAppsMall, which features premium content from Electronic Arts.

Besides making it easier for users to find great games, this version also improves how payments are made. Unlike Google Checkout, which forces users to key in their credit card details, Applorer uses MoVend, which is another Stream Media product.

MoVend is essentially an in-app payment platform that allows multiple modes of payment, including:  PayPal, Cherry Credits, MOLPoints, Alipay, and carrier billing. This gives users more flexibility.

And with the availability of Alipay, expansion to China is definitely on the cards, although they’re looking at finding localized titles first.

Jeremy has also told me that they are in the midst of implementing TapJoy into the app. It is a service that allows users to earn points by clicking on ads and downloading games. The points can then be redeemed for more titles.

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