Warner Bros getting in on the App Store game
Media giant positions itself to become an iPhone publisher
When the App Store launched, we’d have agreed wholeheartedly that the publisher was dead. The ease of access for developers and end users suggested that there was absolutely no need for publishers, and for a while this was very much the case.
But no one really expected there to be 30,000 applications lumped onto the iPhone within its first year, and although some devs have managed to get their wares seen, the biggest problem now facing iPhone software creators now is being ignored.
Chillingo has proven the value a professional publisher can still bring to an iPhone game release, and with a PR giant like Warner Bros Digital Distribution stepping into the same arena, developers might once again start turning to the publisher to handle their vital promotions.
The first client on Warner’s iPhone roster is mobile stalwart Cobra Mobile, which is busily preparing adaptations of its prolific mobile catalogue. Its first title, Stuck Genie, is due to be delivered by Warner any time now, with a follow-up already in preparation.
The vast PR network at Warner’s disposal could be well worth the reduced share that developers will get from their games, as it could easily lift an application out of App Store obscurity and into the iPhone light.
