JH Digital Solutions was founded by Finnish developer, Jari Huomo, and is the creator of hit Amazon Underground app, Zen: Coloring book for adults. Jari Huomo is an indie developer and self-proclaimed “coffee addict” working out of his home basement to build apps for all ages. After hearing about Amazon Underground on social media, Jari published his app, Zen: Coloring book for adults, to Amazon Underground, and now makes more on Underground than on all other platforms combined.

“My Amazon Underground experience has been superb so far! Zen: Coloring book for adults is now published for Amazon, Mac, Windows 10 desktop, iOS, and Google Play devices. The Amazon Underground version is the most downloaded one and Underground has currently made more money than other platforms combined!”

GETTING INTO AMAZON UNDERGROUND

JH Digital Solutions has adopted a business slogan of “Apps for everyone,” building everything from storybook apps for kids, to tax calculator apps for entrepreneurs. In 2015, what began as a kids coloring app evolved into an adult coloring app with coloring pages created by artists from around the world.

Coffee Stain Studios is a developer based in Skövde, Sweden and creator of the blockbuster game, Goat Simulator. We recently sat down with the CEO of Coffee Stain Studios, Anton Westbergh, to learn how an idea to build a game about a destructive goat could lead to over 7 million paid downloads worldwide since its creation, and become one of the top grossing games in Amazon Underground since launching in August of 2015.

The Beginnings of Goat Simulator

Coffee Stain Studios started in 2010 with 9 students from the University of Skövde working on a game project that would become the prototype for their first hit PC game, Sanctum. In 2014, during a company brainstorm about their next game, the idea to build Goat Simulator was born. After posting a YouTube video of an early prototype of Goat Simulator that received 3 million views in the first week, Anton and his team knew they had created something customers were going to love. This has proven to be true, as 2 years later, Goat Simulator, which can be played for free with no in-app purchases on Amazon Underground, has topped the charts on almost all major platforms.

“We were hesitant to put Goat Simulator in Amazon Underground because when you have a really good, working monetization model, it’s scary to move into a new platform and try something different. We worried that this would affect our sales on the other platforms, but it has not. It’s definitely a platform that has worked for us and we’re going to have other titles in Underground in the future.”

Spanish Footballer Gerard Piqué founded Kerad Games in 2012 and went on to create and distribute popular football games. In December 2015, Gerard Piqué launched Final Kick in Amazon Underground making the game 100% free for Amazon Underground customers. Final Kick is a freemium game where customers pay for in-app purchases on all other platforms, but those in-app purchase are 100% free on Amazon Underground. We recently sat down with Piqué to learn about Final Kick and how they have seen an increase in downloads and revenue since launching in Amazon Underground.

“The mobile game industry moved a few years ago from paid to freemium. I see the Amazon Underground model as the new big movement for the mobile game industry,” said Gerard Piqué, owner of Kerad Games. “We saw immediately that Final Kick was perfect for Underground so we decided to join the Underground program and become a launch partner. We are very happy to collaborate so closely with Amazon.”

More Downloads, Increased Usage, and Higher Revenue

Amazon Underground helps attract more users with the promise of 100% free content that customers have to pay for in other Appstores. Kerad Games has experienced this growth first hand. Since launching Final Kick in Amazon Underground, they have seen a 900% increase in average monthly downloads. 

Amazon Underground has extended availability to customers on 2nd generation 2012 Fire tablets, giving developers the opportunity to reach another large and active group of customers with their Amazon Underground app or game. Amazon Underground is a new app for Android phones where customers can access over $20,000 in apps, games and in-app items 100% free – that’s over 2,000 apps and games that would normally cost money to download and play. As a developer, Amazon will pay you for every minute your Amazon Underground app is used, by every customer. You can monetize 100% of your Android users, and starting today, that includes customers using Amazon Underground on 2^nd generation 2012 Fire tablets. These customers will now find an Underground tab added to the Appstore on their device giving them access to 100% free apps and games on Amazon Underground.

Developers are Successful in Amazon Underground

Amazon Underground launched in August of 2015, enabling developers to get paid for every customer, and generate revenue for every minute of usage. With Amazon Underground, developers have seen their download numbers and their revenue on Amazon increase as a result. We recently sat down with Halfbrick Studios, and GIANTS Software to discuss their success since launching on Amazon Underground. 

The all-new Fire tablet was the #1 best-selling, most wished-for, and most gifted product across the millions of items available on Amazon.com this holiday season, and all of these tablets come pre-loaded with Amazon Underground. The 2015 holiday season was the biggest holiday ever for Amazon devices-up 2x over last year’s record setting holiday. With this record setting shopping season, millions of customers are lighting up their new devices this month and downloading their first 100% free Amazon Underground apps and games. With proven success for developers like Halfbrick Studios and Rovio, and millions of new Fire Tablet customers, now is the time to get your apps and games published to Amazon Underground.