MILAN—Bending Spoons, Europe’s No. 1 iOS mobile app developer, has officially launched Playond. This new gaming service gives members unlimited access to an ever-growing catalog of critically acclaimed premium games. The current collection of 60 plus games is now available to everybody: users can play for free with some limitations, or subscribe for an early bird price of $0.99/month.
“We are thrilled to have partnered with some of the most dedicated game developers and indie studios in the world. Playond is a service created by mobile gamers, for mobile gamers: our mission is bringing premium games on the App Store to as many players as possible, ultimately leveling up the mobile gaming experience we can all enjoy,” says Mauro Bolis, project manager of Playond.
In recent years, free-to-play games designed to maximize ad impressions and in-app purchases have come to dominate the charts. Playond intends to change this trend, putting the emphasis back on premium gaming experiences.
“While a lot of indie developers keep passionately crafting premium games, they find the upfront price limits their audience, and they lack the advertising firepower to promote them, making these gems hard to find,” continues Bolis. “We want to fix that and make those great games more accessible than ever by providing players with an inexpensive, simple way to find and play them.”
The developer response to Playond has been enthusiastic. Josh Presseisen from Crescent Moon Games said: “Playond has the exciting possibility of giving a completely dead premium iOS market new life.” Playond has been soft testing since June 2019, and has already built a strong offering of high-profile titles spanning a multitude of genres, with new games being added regularly.
With Playond, Bending Spoons officially enters the mobile gaming industry. Research conducted by AppAnnie, a leading mobile market data and analytics platform, notes that the mobile gaming industry continued to grow in 2018, expanding its lead over other gaming platforms.
Worldwide consumer spending on mobile games was close to $80 million in 2018, and mobile is expected to grow to 60-percent gaming market share in 2019. BUSINESS WIRE