How JoyBits released its games on EGS Mobile among first batch of launch titles, entering new era for alternative app stores
Alternative app stores are becoming a hot topic in the wake of Epic’s ongoing expansion and battle against Apple and Google. In this article for Game World Observer, JoyBits founder Anton Rybakov shares the studio’s experience of launching its games on the EGS Mobile.
Anton Rybakov
For years, most game companies — from small indie studios to major publishers — followed one golden rule: focus all efforts and resources on App Store/Google Play for mobile, or Steam for PC projects. Any alternatives were dismissed as unworthy of attention, bringing in 5% of gross earnings at most.
However, the situation gradually changed over the years. Lower entry barriers for new teams, fierce competition and, consequently, the dramatic decline in average organic visibility across all platforms — coupled with the ever-rising costs of performance marketing and UA in general — have led to increased interest in alternative monetization channels.
Console, PC, HTML5, Telegram Mini Apps all attract significant attention, but alternative app stores on mobile have been experiencing a true renaissance since 2024.
Since its inception, JoyBits has specialized in alternative distribution as a publisher, building a unique network of sales channels tailored for each platform. Interestingly, the company has been a genuine pioneer on key alternative platforms, repeatedly making shortlists of so-called platform launch titles.
It all began with the first J2ME games for smartphones in Eastern Europe. By 2011, JoyBits was among the first publishers on Amazon Kindle E-Ink, then at the launch of Amazon Android Store in 2012. We were also among the first 50 games on Windows Phone 7 and Windows 8 Store. Thanks to this approach and high-level platform relations, alternative channels have always formed a significant part of our earnings, not just incremental revenue.
The history repeated itself in 2024 when friends from Epic Games invited JoyBits to participate in the Early Adopters program before the global launch of the Epic Games Store Mobile.
This was an interesting challenge for the entire team, as both the store itself and all submission/approval procedures were still being developed within Epic. The first release had to be prepared essentially “blindfolded” without the ability to see the game’s store page on a device or test the build by downloading it from a store — these features simply didn’t exist at that point.
EGS Mobile opened its doors on January 23, 2025. By February 4, premium versions of JoyBits games were released among the first 20 third-party launch titles, which included titles like Star Wars.
Doodle God as one of only 20 launch titles on Epic Mobile
With all the pre-launch store challenges left behind, the team has gained experience that allows us to quickly port and release dozens of games in the coming months. In fact, we are already working on exclusive titles from Azur Games, ABI Global, Unico Studio, and have resources for new partnerships.
The most interesting aspect is the financial prospects and audience size. Clearly, the store is currently in its early growth stage. It is essentially in soft launch. While the focus now is on paid/premium releases, it is evident that Epic’s business model allows an average game to earn noticeably more than on classic mobile stores, where paid versions had no chance in 2025 on pure organic traffic.
On PC, the Epic Games Store already has about 900 million cross-platform accounts and 300 million active users. All these players have phones, and over time most will try mobile versions of their favorite PC hits, and then mobile-only titles from the likes of Azur Games. Besides the existing audience, Epic is actively partnering with mobile operators, promoting Epic Mobile as the main game portal for them.
It is clear that Epic is playing the long game. Based on the current state of the EGS on PC, the company has every chance to eventually become the #3 mobile store — behind only Apple and Google. Especially given that a spot in the top 3 was recently vacated with the closure of Amazon Android.
We should bear in mind that Epic Games has always actively supported developers with various programs and grants for Unreal Engine, as well as indie game jams and the widely discussed EGS Free Games program. Every publisher has its own path, and any such arrangements are very individual (no guarantees here). However, game monetization does come in many forms, not just direct sales or IAP/IAA revenue.
We at JoyBits are currently exploring different options. Last week, Doodle Kingdom was released under the Free Game event. This global worldwide giveaway was covered by many media outlets.
Based on experience with previous top-performing alternative mobile distribution channels, it is safe to say that games entering the storefront among the first 1,000 titles will secure a stable non-zero income and long-lasting organic visibility, permanent collections, as well as regular featuring for the next 5-10 years.