Amazon launches GameOn, a service for developers to create cross-platform competitions

Amazon yesterday announced its new gaming service, GameOn, which allows developers to integrate cross-platform competitions into their games. This cloud-based service works on any operating system and gives access to a set of features to help increase engagement and monetisation.

Competitions created through GameOn let players compete for real-world rewards fulfilled by Amazon (only in the US for now), or for in-game rewards. GameOn supports various scales of events and gives developers the ability to enable user-generated competitions should they want to. It also supports leaderboards, leagues and multi-round competitions.

Studios can use GameOn APIs for free until May 1st. “After that date, the first 35,000 plays per month are free for a limited time, then developers will pay $0.003 per play,” the announcement said. More information on pricing can be found on GameOn’s website.

Marja Koopmans, director at Amazon Competitive Gaming said: “Game developers have consistently told us they are looking for ways to increase player engagement and retention. We built Amazon GameOn to give developers simple, yet powerful tools to foster community through competitive gameplay.”

Jesse Cherry, senior product lead at nWay (which implemented GameOn competitions into Saban’s Power Rangers: Legacy Wars), commented: “We were particularly drawn to the real-world prizing aspect of GameOn. In-game tournaments drive player engagement, and prizing creates a stronger incentive for players to participate. Administering real-world rewards is complex and Amazon makes the logistics easy and seamless.”

Eden Games’ Gear.Club also uses GameOn to scale the size of its competitions: “GameOn has made it easy for us to add leaderboards and tournaments in-game. GameOn saved us months of development and a whole lot of maintenance and logistical overhead in the long run,” said Eden Games’ CMO Pascal Clarysse.

Meanwhile, Survival Arena studio Game Insight has integrated GameOn to make use of its reward system: “We’re committed to growing the competitive gaming and esports community, and GameOn APIs give us an exciting new toolset to do this with. We’ve already started using GameOn to provide our fans with real-world prizes and new types of tournaments that allow players to compete against each other across PC and mobile,” Game Insight’s CEO Anatoly Ropotov said.