EA is partnering with marketing company Flexion to bring its mobile games to third-party app stores in the near future.
Under this deal, select titles like EA Sports FC Mobile and The Sims Mobile will come to the Amazon App store, Samsung Galaxy Store, Xiaomi GetApps, and ONE Store. Flexion’s self-touted distribution services lets it “reach new players from alternative stores, significantly reducing the upfront cost or work from its partners to boost revenue and activate new audiences.”
In its third quarter financials for 2024-2025, EA reported a “double digit increase” in new players and engagement year-over-year for EA Sports FC Mobile specifically. However, the overall mobile division made $276 million in net revenue, down 7 percent year-over-year. Releasing its games on more platforms may help reduce that gap or raise revenue during the remaining fiscal year, or for 2025-2026.
“We’re delighted EA has chosen to work with us and can’t wait to launch their hit mobile games,” wrote CEO Jens Lauritzson. “Developers make better margins, higher revenue and reach bigger audiences with broader market channels, like the alternative app stores. Using Flexion’s expert third-party services to do this reduces upfront financial and manpower costs and therefore risk.”
The rise of alternative app stores
Within the past year, non-iOS and Android storefronts have been getting more recognition in mobile markets. In 2024, developer Kabam Entertainment teamed with Flexion to take Marvel: Contest of Champions to alternative stores, including ONE Store Korea.
A UK bill was passed the same year, aiming to prevent larger tech platforms like Apple and Google from giving preferential treatment to its own products. The bill followed the country’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which forced Apple to allow third-party stores on the UK iOS.
Flexion will launch EA’s first mobile game on third-party stores later this year. In 2022, Game Developer spoke with ZiMad’s Vladimir Romanov about what these alternative storefronts can provide developers, which you can read here.