Amazon releases Unity plugins for In-App Purchasing, GameCircle APIs

Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) is introducing new plugins enabling developers leveraging the Unity game engine to increase engagement and monetization by integrating In-App Purchasing and Amazon GameCircle support into their Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD titles.

The Unity platform includes tools designed to help developers builder richer, more interactive gaming experiences. Developed by Unity Technologies, the engine targets mobile devices, Web plugins and desktop platforms, offering binaries optimized for specific platforms including the Kindle Fire and the Amazon Appstore for Android.

Amazon unveiled GameCircle this summer. Clearly modeled after Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) Game Center platform, the GameCircle APIs include Achievements, enabling players to track trophies, treasures, badges and awards without exiting the gaming experience, as well as Leaderboards, which provide in-game score comparisons and percentile rankings allowing players to measure their progress against other gamers without leaving a title.

GameCircle additionally leverages Amazon's cloud services platform to introduce new Sync features that automatically save players' in-game progress to the cloud, allowing them to pick up where they left off when restoring a deleted game or moving between Kindle Fire devices. All scores and achievements are stored for free.

GameCircle's launch followed a few months after Amazon rolled out its long-anticipated In-App Purchasing service, enabling developers to offer premium digital content and subscriptions within apps and games sold via the Amazon Appstore for Android. Optimized for Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet and other devices running Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android mobile operating system, the In-App Purchasing API supports the sale of virtual goods such as in-game currency and expansion packs as well as individual issues of periodicals. The service leverages Amazon's signature 1-Click purchase technology to simplify the checkout process.

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