Samsung Electronics announced that it will share 80% of revenues and keep 20% for itself for games on the Samsung Galaxy Store.
The big South Korean tech company made the announcement ahead of the Game Developers Conference next week. It’s big news, as both Google and Apple charge as much as 30% to developers who sell their goods on the big platforms’ app stores. It’s been the subject of litigation, as Epic Games has highlighted it as monopolistic behavior — and Epic only charges 12% to developers on the Epic Games Store.
Samsung also said that with its mobile cloud gaming platform, it is now easier than ever for mobile game developers and publishers of all sizes to scale their businesses with efficient user acquisition, increase revenue potential and seamlessly build games with a suite of software development kits (SDKs) and tools.
In November 2024, Samsung officially commercialized its mobile cloud gaming platform in North America. As a frontrunner in cloud gaming, Samsung provides developers and publishers with new ways to efficiently reach millions of Galaxy device owners while also allowing players to instantly jump into games without waiting or downloading.
Samsung said its platform is already proving to be exceptionally valuable in the gaming community, as evidenced by a recent case study from Vizor, a leading developer behind the top grossing mobile title Klondike Adventures. Vizor launched Klondike Adventures on Samsung’s mobile cloud gaming beta in July 2024, and in less than a year, has experienced significant success and growth in its user acquisition campaigns by gaining millions of new players.
Additionally, with Samsung’s platform, Vizor’s 60-day return on ad spend (ROAS) is 25% higher than its
“business as usual” ROAS yields for comparable campaigns over the same time period.
“Vizor is constantly looking for new channels to attract players to its flagship game Klondike Adventures,” said Helen Kostina, chief marketing officer of Vizor, in a statement. “The results we have achieved together with Samsung’s mobile cloud gaming platform have exceeded our expectations. We have already seen a noticeable business impact, proving the potential of cloud technology. Moving forward, Samsung will remain an important part of our strategy to reach a wider audience.”
“Our cloud gaming platform is changing the mobile landscape for both publishers and players,” said Jong Woo, head of game services at Samsung, in a statement. “By converting an ad click directly into first gameplay and eliminating the need to drive players to an app store, we are significantly increasing top-of-funnel conversion rates for publisher’s user acquisition campaigns and driving superior return on their advertising investment.”
Woo added, “This increased efficiency is disrupting how publishers have commercially scaled their games up until now and expanding the player base for games within the Samsung Galaxy ecosystem. For players on our Galaxy devices, by eliminating the hassle and burden of having to wait for a game to download and install before trying it, we are bringing a new kind of discovery and play experience that is easy, instant and fun.”
Samsung’s mobile cloud gaming platform also provides a new cloud-based attribution solution
with major mobile measurement partner (MMP) providers.
Traditionally, user acquisition campaign attribution has been largely dependent on apps having to be installed and opened directly on a user’s device. This is also how game publishers have attributed new app installs to their ad campaign – making it possible to calculate ROI of their ad spend based on acquired users’ collective monetization.
With cloud gaming, players are able to instantly jump into gameplay without having to install an app, which breaks this traditional attribution protocol. To resolve this pain point, Samsung is proud to have worked directly with AppsFlyer, a leading MMP, to build a first-of-its-kind solution that allows clients to attribute an ad click and resulting game play in the cloud as an app install.
“Cloud gaming is transforming how players access and experience games, and attribution needs to evolve alongside it,” said Adam Smart, Director of Product, Gaming at AppsFlyer, in a statement. “AppsFlyer has partnered with Samsung to redefine what an install means in the cloud environment. As our technologies evolve, our measurement capabilities must adapt alongside them. Together, we have pioneered an entirely new way for developers and publishers to track and optimize the performance of their ad campaigns without requiring players to physically install a game.”
Once a player launches a title through an ad click, the cloud-based attribution solution also allows developers and publishers to track performance within cloud games – including in-game purchases.
Samsung Galaxy Store Offers More Benefits
Unlocking the benefits of Samsung’s mobile cloud gaming platform on Galaxy devices is made easy through existing Galaxy Store infrastructure. Developers and publishers can easily build on the platform with full access to a comprehensive suite of SDKs and tools. It also supports existing in-game monetization models for a seamless fit with current operations.
Additionally, Samsung is making a change to its public terms and putting more funds back into the hands of developers and publishers with an 80/20 revenue share model for games on the Galaxy Store. This structure also applies to games built on Samsung’s cloud gaming platform, providing even more opportunities for partners. The new revenue share will take effect on May 15, 2025.
Samsung’s collection of mobile gaming offerings across its cloud platform and the Galaxy Store – along with premium promotional support and direct distribution to millions of pre-loaded Galaxy devices globally – is creating unrivaled efficiencies and profitability for developers and publishers.
Developers and publishers interested in learning about the Galaxy Store terms and expanding their mobile game distribution on Galaxy devices with Samsung’s cloud technology can visit the Samsung’s Developer page.
