On November 3^rd 2015 300+ attendees, two tracks about monetization and gaming, 13 sessions, multiple guest speakers and the Amazon Appstore evangelists animated a very successful developer-focused conference: the Amazon Appstore Developer Summit 2015, which took place at CodeNode, London.

The Amazon Appstore Developer Summit focused around unique insights into the Amazon Appstore ecosystem, emerging user interfaces and devices that are driving new user behaviors, like Fire TV and Amazon Echo, and new business models like Amazon Underground and Merch, which are opening up opportunities for customers and the developer community.

Here you can find the recordings of all the sessions, complete with slides, organized by topic:

Building games as an indie or AAA studio is serious business. Join the Amazon Appstore and AWS during our GDC developer day event on March 15^th, 2016 as we teach you everything from game ideation, creation, scaling, monetization, marketing, polishing and publishing. We have an incredible line up of speakers, including Amazon evangelists and industry thought leaders from Twitch, Backflip Studios, Yacht Club Games and King. Come get practical advice and best practices on how to scale the business side of your game development. The developer day is part of the official GDC programming, so if you are attending GDC make sure to come out and check out the full list of talks we’ll be giving. Click here to register.

From a One Person Shop to Indie Dev to AAA: What It Really Takes to Grow

10:00am-11:00am

We've entered a golden age of creativity and experimentation. Today, anyone with an idea can build a game and publish it to a global audience.  How does the gifted amateur become a pro game developer, and from there, a games industry success story? Hint: it requires more than just programming or artistic talent. In this session, we'll show you how to approach game development as a business - even if business isn't your "thing." We'll look at the single most-important skill you can develop, and show by example what happens if you neglect it. We'll also offer practical insights on choosing a game genre, development environment, and target hardware as well as how to monetize your game.

Want a great chance to show your game to the media and indie game community? Well, you’re in luck because it so happens we can make that happen. We have 4 slots available in The MIX 2016, and we’re looking for the next indie game that will get people talking. The 5^th MIX showcase is happening March 14^th from 7pm till late at the IGN headquarters, 625 2^nd Street in San Francisco.  

What do you have to do to get in on this you ask? Easy, send your game to me. Okay, there’s a little more to it than that but not much. Submit your game and be ready to demo it on an Amazon device like the Fire tablet or Fire TV. For more details, including how to submit your game for consideration, read on. 

In July 2014, we released In-App Purchasing (IAP) v2.0, which represents an evolution of the API with several major updates. With the continued focus on the newer IAP v2.0 we will deprecate v1.0 of the API on April 30, 2016. This means that new apps submitted with IAP after April 30^th, 2016 must be on v2.0. If you make an update to an existing IAP v1.0 app after April 30, 2016 you must migrate to v2 by that date. We have created detailed documentation on the process to help you make the transition. If you have not already updated your app, here are some highlights on the features of v2.0 and migration details are noted below.

IAP v2.0 contains several major updates. First, per popular request, we’ve provided an immutable transaction identifier by replacing PurchaseToken with ReceiptId. This allows developers to easily de-dupe transactions, as well as better reconcile transaction records with Amazon reports available in their Amazon account. Second, we’ve included a new feature that allows for in-app item fulfillment notification. By using the notifyFulfillment() method, developers can tell Amazon whether or not an order was fulfilled to the customer, allowing for better order tracking. Third, Amazon is providing cancellation notification where we notify the developer if an order is cancelled so they can respond by taking appropriate action within their app. Finally, we’ve introduced App Tester as a replacement to SDKTester to improve testing based on developer feedback. After testing your app locally, you can use the Live App Testing service to beta test your app in a live production environment with a select group of users.

With Advertise Your App, you can promote your app to millions of users on Fire tablet wakescreens and mobile placements on the Amazon Mobile Ad Network. Getting started is easy; you can create an Advertise Your App campaign in less than 90 seconds, and launch a campaign with as little as $100. And the best part? You only pay when a user clicks on your ads.

Previously, the only way to track Google Play conversions was to integrate our Mobile Ads SDK. Recently we added a new feature to help developers track and improve campaign performance: the Google Play referrer tag. With the Google Play referrer tag, you can now use a referrer tag to see the number of users that installed your app from the Google Play Store.

Our App Testing Service (ATS) allows you to test your app’s compatibility on the Amazon Appstore for Android, Fire tablets, and Amazon Fire TV.  Today we’ve upgraded our existing Nexus 7 fleet of devices so you can now receive compatibility results for Android 6.0 Marshmallow apps and games.

Simply drag and drop your Android APK into the App Testing Service and in as little as 90 seconds you can receive a detailed report of potential issues that could affect your apps’ compatibility with the Amazon Appstore – including guidance on how to resolve them before publishing. You can view the test results which will include screenshots, logs, CPU and Memory utilization information from actual devices that we run the automated tests on using Amazon appXplorer. We will also detect and flag crashes during the automated tests that will help you identify potential compatibility issues of your app.

Today, there are trends to drive adoption that include integrating social sharing and engagement features into an app. Tomorrow’s trends will take social marketing to a more professional level. Soon, top apps will have a fully realized fan base that will drive user acquisition, engagement, and alternate streams of revenue that occur entirely outside the app itself. That fan base will include users, content creators, advocates and new customers. Learn how top eSports apps are already driving more engagement and revenue with a fan base, and learn how to you can do this with your own app.

Join us on January 28^th to learn How to Turn Players to Fans - Top Techniques to Build a Fan Base and Increase User Engagement. At the end of this webinar you will know how to:

• Build a fan base by tapping into early adopter’s enthusiasm and increasing retention
• Turn your VIP players into your key product advocates
• Sell physical goods to lower user acquisition costs and increase revenue with Amazon Merch on Demand

Reserve Your Spot Today

Want to learn more? Register today to learn how to lower your user acquisition costs and increase customer retention by building a fan base.

Register for 7:00am PDT (3:00pm GMT) on Thursday, January 28, 2016

Register for 1:00pm PDT (9:00pm GMT) on Thursday, January 28, 2016

-Mike

On Thursday, December 10 in San Francisco, independent game publisher Whippering will kick off the inaugural Whippering Indie Cup, a celebration of independent gaming. Dozens of Indie developers will demo their work throughout the day, with eight finalists competing to win the grand prize: a $10,000 grant to help them launch their PC, console, or VR game.

I’ll be there representing Amazon as a member of the judging panel, and can tell you that it won’t be easy selecting just one winner. From what I’ve seen of the early entries, there is some serious talent represented. I’m excited to participate and hope you’ll take time to stop by the Regency Ballroom next Thursday. Doors open at 10am and the winning title will be announced at 6pm.

Register now to get your ticket in advance.

It’s the end of the year again and with that, it’s time to celebrate the last Ludum Dare of 2015. Ludum Dare is an incredibly popular online game jam. While the event is primarily online, developers still meet up in person around the world to also take part in the 48 hour compo or 72 hour jam. Each year we help local Seattle game developers find a space to work on Ludum Dare. This year we are partnering up with Indie Game Spark to offer developers a space at Surf Incubator in downtown Seattle to take part in Ludum Dare 34.

Here are the details for the event:

Registration is here. You need to register ahead of time in order to take part in person.

12/11 - Starts at 5pm with theme being announced at 6pm

12/13 - Compo Ends (48 hour event) with prizes at 8pm

12/14 - Jam Ends (72 hour event) with prizes at 8pm

Location - Surf Incubator located at 999 3rd Avenue. #700. Seattle, WA 98104

Food and drinks will be provided along with wifi and a space to work. If you are new to Ludum Dare, check out the rules for the event. Hope to see you at the event and if you can’t make it, check out this page for other in-person Ludum Dare events around the world.

- Jesse Freeman (@jessefreeman)

Millions of customers will be opening new Amazon devices this holiday season, so there has never been a better time to publish your app or game to the Amazon Appstore. According to statistics just released, Amazon device sales over Black Friday and the following weekend tripled those of the year before. The number one best-selling product across all of Amazon.com was the Fire tablet, followed by the Fire TV Stick.

The Fastest-Selling Amazon Tablet Ever

Much of this sales growth may be attributed to Amazon’s new 7” Fire tablet, launched just this year. At only $49.99, it has become the fastest-selling Amazon tablet ever, with millions sold since launch. This may be the first tablet you can buy in a “six-pack,” and costing only $250, that option has been popular. According to Dave Limp, SVP, Amazon Devices, “We’ve reached a tipping point with Fire—it is our fastest-selling tablet ever. We’ve already built millions—and we’re ramping up production to build millions more.”

For Fire OS and Android developers, this is exciting news. With each Fire tablet sold, the potential audience for your app or game grows larger, even if you’ve never developed for an Amazon device before. Most Android apps we’ve tested work on Fire with no code changes, so bringing your existing product to these new customers can be as simple as submitting it to the Amazon Appstore. Getting started is easy.

Amazon Underground is a new app for Android phones where customers can access over 1,500 free versions of apps and games that normally cost money to download and play (including unlimited, free in-app items).  Amazon Underground launched in August of 2015 for customers in the US, UK, Germany and France. Starting today, Amazon Underground is available in 16 additional countries and territories including Italy and Spain, opening up new and exciting opportunities for mobile developers to reach an even broader audience.

Amazon Underground customers will find  free versions of popular premium titles like Office Suite Professional 8 and Fruit Ninja and popular titles with in-app purchases like Frozen Free Fall, Star Wars Rebels: Recon Missions, Angry Birds Slingshot Stella, and many more.   Any developer can submit their app, which means more apps and games will be added to Underground all the time.

In July we announced the new Amazon Fling SDK which allows developers to create engaging second screen experiences by connecting the Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick to mobile devices. We continue to add new features to this SDK including the ability to remotely discover Fire TV apps directly from your iOS, Android, and Fire mobile devices by leveraging a new API called Remote Install. Remote Install can detect Fire TVs on the same network as a mobile device and allows developers to prompt the user to launch the Fire TV’s Appstore Product page directly to their app or game.

To illustrate how Remote Install works, let’s assume you have a game already published in Amazon Appstore for Fire TV as well as on iOS or Android. If you are on the same network as the Fire TV you can have the mobile version of your game automatically prompt the player to install it on the Fire TV. Here was what that would look like.

We’re excited to announce that Amazon developers can now monetize their apps using Supersonic, a leading mobile monetization and user acquisition platform. The company works with publishers of all sizes, from indie developers to large game studios, helping maximize ad revenues and acquire quality users. Get started here.

Since 2013, Login with Amazon has provided an OAuth 2.0 protocol authentication system that allows websites and mobile apps to securely connect with more than 250 million Amazon customers.

Now we’ve streamlined the login experience for those customers, adding new support for single sign-on across multiple platforms. We’ve also introduced new plugins to make it easier than ever to use Login with Amazon from your website. These new features are part of our ongoing efforts to bring more value to our developer community.

Single Sign-On for Multiple Platforms

We’re proud to announce that, with the release of the latest Login with Amazon SDK for iOS (v.2.1.0), single sign-on is now supported across web, Fire tablet, Android, and iOS applications. Login with Amazon provides a single sign-on experience by automatically authenticating customers using the Amazon account they’re already signed into.

Customers who click Login with Amazon on your website are automatically signed in if they’re also signed into Amazon.com in the same browser session. On Fire tablets, Login with Amazon uses the Amazon account registered to the device for authentication. On Android and iOS, the account signed into the Amazon Mobile Shopping app is used for authentication. See Introducing 1-Click Sign In on our website for more information.

We are excited to join the Application Developers Alliance for the New York App Strategy Workshop on November 5, where our own Dave Isbitski will share best practices and analytic data from the top 50 in-app purchase grossing games in the Amazon Appstore. Dave will be joined by experts from companies like Tumblr, Twilio, AT&T, Pollen, Millennial Media, Branch Metrics, and more for innovative sessions that explore tips, tricks and advice on app monetization, discoverability, and user acquisition. Join the event for free using code AMAZON. Register today, space is limited!

Date: Thursday, November 5 | 2:30pm to 6:30pm
Location: The Standard Downtown | 848 Washington Street 

Register here: Bit.ly/NYC-ASW

FREE promo code: AMAZON

The App Strategy Workshop is part of a 15-city tour proudly presented by the Application Developers Alliance, a non-profit global membership organization that supports developers as creators, innovators, and entrepreneurs. They promote the continued growth of the industry and advocate on behalf of their members on public policy and industry issues. Membership includes a global network of more than 60,000 developers with diverse skills, expertise, and interests; and hundreds of companies that depend on and work with developers. Learn more at http://www.appdevelopersalliance.org/.

Corey

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