Tapjoy to launch iOS app marketplace

Mobile monetisation and analytics firm Tapjoy is to launch an iOS software marketplace of its own, though it insists it is not doing so to escape Apple's new advertising policies.
Tapjoy fell foul of a change to Apple's policy which prohibited appsthat made use of "pay-per-install". Tapjoy's core business model involves advertising one app within another; when the new app is downloaded and played the user is rewarded with virtual currency in the game they were playing before.
Apple believed the practice was falsely distorting App Store rankings, with games climbing the charts because of what they were giving away as opposed to their quality.
Speaking to VentureBeat, a company spokesperson insisted the move was not in response to Apple's change in policy.
"Tapjoy realised in order to get really big, we needed direct relationships with consumers," the spokesperson said. "It is not a way [to circumvent Apple]. In fact, the wheels for this were put in motion long before Apple ever changed [its] policies."
Tapjoy's marketplace will enable players to link their accounts to the App Store and gain virtual currency in games they already play. The company launched its own publishing platform, Tapjoy Publishing, in March, and in June set up a $5 million fund to help mobile devs port their creations to Android.

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