Amazon has been making games exclusively for their Android-powered Fire devices, but now those games look like they’re coming to iOS. As announced recently by Amazon Game Studios, four games are on their way to iOS. Two are already out: Tales from Deep Space is already on Fire Tablet, and To-Fu Fury was a Fire Phone launch title, and is now coming to their tablets and to iOS. As well, upcoming games Til Morning’s Light, created by WayForward Studios, and Lost Within from Prey creators Human Head will be coming to iOS as well.
While initially, Amazon giving up exclusivity for their games on their tablet and phone line doesn’t make sense, they do if you think about them. Amazon Game Studios is actively pushing for paid experiences without IAP, and the best place to do that is iOS. The games aren’t coming to Android via Google Play, so there’s still some exclusivity. And Amazon has been pushing to make Amazon Game Studios a huge thing: they hired Portal‘s Kim Swift, bought out Killer Instinct for Xbox One and Strider remake creator Double Helix Games, and of course there was the whole Twitch acquisition. Amazon might be going for ubiquity than exclusivity, throwing down the hints with all their Amazon services that hey, if you keep streaming Amazon video, and buying Amazon games, maybe you should buy an Amazon tablet.
It’ll be interesting to see just how exactly this all pays off. At worst, some of the games that Amazon is making look interesting enough. And who knows what the endgame for Amazon is here with all their acquisitions and releases. And at worst, iOS gamers are getting some paid games without IAP, which a vocal segment of the audience does enjoy!
