Amazon wins Angry Birds Rio exclusivity deal

Online retailer Amazon has said it has secured exclusive rights to distribute an upcoming Android version of Angry Birds.

The deal would mean that Angry Birds Rio will not be released on Android Market – Google’s smartphone equivalent to the App Store.

Amazon, which in recent years has profited greatly from digital distribution products such as Kindle, recently declared it will list Android games on its own website, as opposed to the Android Market.

Angry Birds Rio will be a launch title for the new Amazon portal.

“The Android version of Angry Birds Rio, the follow up to the smash hits Angry Birds and Angry Birds Seasons, will launch exclusively in the Amazon App Store,” the retailer said.

The Angry Birds franchise has been downloaded over 100 million times, with the free Android edition installed over 30 million times.

Due to Google’s leniency with its Android operating system, companies are free to distribute their own apps and can be accessed from all Android devices.

Amazon has taken up that chance, and will be promoting apps across its world-leading online store – as well as integrating apps within its Recommended For You website feature.

One of the retailer’s aims is to determine the price of all the apps, and will have the prerogative to adjust – or completely removing – prices at will.

Developers are said will receive 70 per cent of all proceeds.

A developer portal recently launched for the service. Signing up is free for the first year, as part of a new promotion, though normally $99 will be charged each year.

“The sheer number of apps available today makes it hard for customers to find high-quality, relevant products – and developers similarly struggle to get their apps noticed,” Amazon recently declared in a blog post.