Indus Appstore, operated by PhonePe, has partnered with major real-money game developers, including Dream11, Nazara Technologies, Gameskraft, and Mobile Premier League (MPL), as it prepares for its public launch in the coming months.
The addition of these gaming apps is seen as a strategic move to challenge the dominance of Google Play Store in mobile app distribution. Indus Appstore plans to allow developers to list their apps in 12 Indian languages, in addition to English, and enable the upload of media and videos in these languages.
The platform, which will charge a zero percent fee on in-app purchases, is currently inviting Android app developers to publish their apps on the marketplace.
Indus Appstore has also partnered with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) such as Nokia and Lava to integrate the app store into their devices.
The move comes in the wake of Google’s announcement that it plans to allow all types of real-money games on the Play Store, subject to approval by self-regulatory bodies, once the new regulatory framework is established in India. Google had initiated a year-long pilot in September 2022 to offer daily fantasy sports and rummy apps on Google Play to users in India.
The pilot concluded on September 28, 2023, and existing apps have until January 15, 2024, to remain on Google Play. Indus Appstore’s partnerships aim to provide users with diverse gaming experiences and expand the reach of engaging games to a broader audience.
