App Store Foundation – the future and now for mobile apps

When it comes to the world of mobile apps and app stores, there are billions of users and millions of games and apps, but that doesn’t mean the technology can’t be improved.

At the ASF Blockchain Summit in Lisbon, developers and speakers came together to discuss them, along with the future of apps and blockchain.

From the challenges that app developers face, to the blockchain, with its many iterations as drivers of innovation, and how a token economy can revolutionize the app-based world.


The App Store Foundation

The collaboration of developers in a unified ecosystem and token system offers smaller app developers opportunities that are otherwise unthinkable through conventional channels.

Over 2018, the App Store Foundation seeks to do just that: create an ecosystem based around the APPC token. This system helps to drive adoption of the token system while giving a platform to smaller app stores and developers.

According to Carolina Marcalo, the App Store Foundation’s Executive Director, expressed a desire to see the initiative flourish in the foreseeable future, with sights set on many more events to raise awareness of the Foundation.

The foundation itself intends to place into the hands of the developers and stores, the ability for developers to efficiently utilize APPC’s while simplifying a wide range of issues such as advertising, monetization and in-app purchases by players.

“The App Store Foundation has five major objectives,” Marcalo stipulated

  • To assume the independent and transparent governance of the Appcoins protocol
  • Carry on all the operations, funds for development and its scalability
  • Promote continuous and open innovation of the Appcoinsprotocol/ecosystem
  • Support Appcoins among direct stakeholders such as app stores, users, developers and other relevant industry members
  • Sponsor and promote events that will contribute to the development of the protocol.“We have twelve of these planned for next year that will all help towards our initiative and protocol.”

Games as a driver of innovation

One of the added advantages, according to ONTOP’s Nuno Folhadela, is the creative spark that comes along with it. And it’s an innovative path that blockchain games can help lead the way on.

“Games are the perfect ignition point for innovation – It’s always on the frontline of the tech revolution,” Folhadela argues.

While players in the mainstream app world are able to buy and obtain items, Blockchain, Folhadela states, has the ability to pull users into the economy to become active contributors and beneficiaries of it.

“Imagine – a user starts playing a game, becomes highly engaged, and after 2 hours, he finds a rare item, crafts something rare and puts it up for sale on the marketplace,” he continues.

“He decides to receive BTC/ETH for his time, now, the seller has made cryptocurrency just by playing the game. That’s a revolutionary direct marketplace within the gaming world.”


“Software / Mobile is eating the world.”

Where businesses and particular services once dictated the flow of goods, services, and commerce, software has taken over.

“Products and services that were originally being delivered through a company are now being delivered more effectively through software.”

Chris Jones of Dragonchain discussed just how we’ve entered a world of software, which is sanding down previously friction-addled industries.

“When we look at where we are today, we are seeing more things taking place in a frictionless way.”

The mobile world, in particular, apps, are no exception to this and stand to benefit greatly. Citing Bitcoin, Jones argues that the next big step for any business is to bring blockchain into the mix to avoid some of the pitfalls that face centralized systems.


From Fortnite to Finding Blockchain – the solution to game distribution?

For games looking to launch on a centralized app store, they find themselves face-to-face with a number of difficulties.

The first being the lack of support afforded to small teams, and the other being the punitive 30% cut taken out of sales.

But the panel cited Fortnite as a use-case of how a game can walk away from the conventional system to distribute in their own way.

Ronnie Tan of Gumi answers the question of what it means for developers and gamers:

“What does it mean to players out there? It’s created a possibility for distribution to be moved to other, lesser-known distributors.”

Blockchain, Tan adds, creates the potential to up-end the current free-mium system in operation for millions of mobile app users.

“We’re seeing more what we describe as play-to-earn,” Tan reasons.

“But we’re also seeing a universe of economy being created, where assets and currencies are able to transcend from one game to another.”

Community, the panel argues, is at the heart of how to make this a mainstream reality. As Aptoide’s Pedro Almeida states:

“With this initiative, it’s about how you can draw them in and spark mass adoption,” and one of the best steps forward, adds Tan, is to reduce the length of the Know Your Customer (KYC) process.

“We need to shorten the KYC process in blockchain. because right now, to play a blockchain game, you have a long onboarding process, you have to install metamask, get logged in, buy your crypto and then play the game.”


App Store Foundations – eyes on the future

Those participating and attending the summit knew full well that the mass adoption the community wants to see wouldn’t happen overnight. And the App Store Foundation is one of the examples of a venture with its eyes on the long term.

Marcalo highlighted some of the foundations which needed to be laid before a mass audience could be cultivated:

  • Make Appcoins the standard blockchain solution for apps distribution
  • Promote it in at least 12 events worldwide
  • Reach a community of 200,000 followers in all social media channels
  • Improve the Appcoins protocol convenience performance to 1,000 developers.

“We all agree that blockchain is helping to resolve a number of the outstanding issues that the app and distribution world faces.”

And for 2018/19, it’s about doing what’s necessary to let the wider public know, which is what this foundation, Appcoins, Aptoide, and many attendees of the ASF Blockchain Summit want to see.

Blockchain Gamer Connects  – London Registration 2019 – PGConnects – London

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App Store FoundationAppCoinsGame DevelopmentLisbonMobile GamesPoAPortugal
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