Around here, we feel that we have a pretty good knack for knowing when an app is going to be a big hit. Maybe it’s the gamer DNA we have running through our veins, but we’ve always felt that we could identify great games or great concepts very early in their development and predict with a pretty high level of accuracy whether or not people would enjoy playing it.

When we launched the Tapjoy Android Fund last summer, we got to put those prediction skills to the test, and we are glad to say that so far, we’re doing pretty well.

So far we’ve brought a whopping total of 130 total apps into the fund, and though most of those are still in development, of the apps that have launched a good number of them have turned out to be quite successful.

Take Overkill, for example. The nitty-gritty first-person shooter game by Craneballs Studios has been downloaded nearly 1 million times since it first launched, having received a user rating in the Market of 4.6 out of 5 stars. Or MachineWorks Northwest’s 3D Hunting: Alaskan Hunt, the “in-your-face” hunting arcade adventure game which has been downloaded more than 1 million times since it first launched.

Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg, and we are still aggressively searching for new and cool apps to bring into the fund. If you’re an app developer on iOS, Facebook or other social/mobile platforms and you need help bringing your app over to Android, drop us a line, or fill out our application for acceptance into the program.

If you’re accepted, you’ll benefit not only from our insights and expertise when it comes to building fun, high-engagement apps and games, but you’ll receive large-scale distribution through our performance ad network — which, by the way, now receives 25 million MAUs.

Check out the full press release below for more details.

For Immediate Release

The Tapjoy Android Fund Surpasses 130 Titles Worldwide

As its network grows to 25 million MAUs on Android, Tapjoy becomes one of the largest international publishers of mobile gaming apps 

San Francisco, CA – January 25, 2011 – Tapjoy, Inc. (www.tapjoy.com), a mobile advertising and monetization platform, announced today that its Android Fund has grown to include more than 130 total applications, making Tapjoy one of the largest international publishers of mobile gaming apps. The company also announced that its Android network went from approximately 171,000 total Monthly Active Users in January 2011 to more than 25 million in December.

The rapid growth of Tapjoy’s Android network has helped the company launch several hits from its Android Fund, since the company is able to promote applications to an ever-increasing base of Android users who are eager to discover new and relevant apps. The Tapjoy Android Fund includes such hits as MachineWorks Northwest’s 3D Hunting™: Alaskan Hunt, with more than 1 million total users, and Duke Nukem, which reached the top of the charts for Arcade & Action games; Craneballs Studios’ Overkill, with more than 900,000 users; Making Fun, Inc.’s Santa’s Village, which has 680,000 users; and many more.

Other developers in the fund include Qubyte Interactive, CerebralFix, Sneaky Games, SkyVu, Mambo Studios, Mention Mobile, Digital Harmony, VisionaryX, PixoFactor and many others from throughout the world. More apps will be launching in the coming weeks and months.

“Our goal for the Tapjoy Android Fund was to help enhance the Android ecosystem by bringing great games from Facebook, iOS and other platforms to the Android Market,” said Rob Carroll, Director of Publishing for Tapjoy. “Our fund is unique in that we don’t ask for creative control and we don’t push developers to adopt one strategy over another; we simply identify talented teams and arm them with the tools and resources they need to quickly build their apps and then turn them into top hits.”

The Tapjoy Android Fund offers monetary and discovery support to game developers looking to port existing apps to the Android platform. Developers selected to the program receive large-scale distribution through Tapjoy’s performance-based advertising network, which delivers targeted app recommendations based on a user’s interests. Developers also have the option to leverage Tapjoy’s virtual currency monetization engine, its game state server for virtual economy management, mobile analytics platform and other value-added services.

Much of the fund’s growth has come from international quarters—including Asia and Europe in particular, as Tapjoy has identified numerous high-quality developers in countries throughout those regions. Czech Republic-based Craneballs Studios is a prime example of one such case.

Said Martin Chamrad, co-founder and CEO of Craneballs Studios: “Our games were already very successful on iOS, but with Tapjoy’s help we were able to quickly and easily port them to Android and grow our user base more rapidly than we ever expected. Tapjoy offered sound advice and direction as we built Overkill for Android, but at the same time they let us do our own thing. The end result was a user experience that might just be our most intense yet, and it has paid off handsomely in terms of user growth, engagement and, perhaps most importantly, revenue.”

Applications for acceptance into the Tapjoy Android Fund are considered on a rolling basis. Developers interested in learning more about the program or applying to become part of it should visit www.tapjoy.com/AndroidFund.

About Tapjoy

Tapjoy is a mobile advertising and monetization platform whose unique Mobile Value Exchange™ model allows users to select personalized advertisements with which to engage for virtual currency or premium content.  Tapjoy helps unlock mobile joy by empowering more than 460 million mobile users who choose to watch videos, subscribe to services, install applications and participate in other types of advertisements in exchange for virtual currency they can use in their favorite apps.  Tapjoy’s turnkey in-app advertising platform helps developers acquire cost-effective, high-value new users and monetize their applications, while its powerful advertising marketplace lets brand advertisers reach a global mobile audience spanning more than 10,000 applications. Tapjoy is backed by top-tier investors including J.P.Morgan Asset Management, Rho Ventures, North Bridge Venture Partners, InterWest Partners and D.E. Shaw Ventures. Headquartered in San Francisco, the company also has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, London and Tokyo. For more information, please visit www.tapjoy.com.

Tapjoy and the Tapjoy logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Tapjoy, Inc. All third party logos and trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

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