GetJar gives away premium Glu games for free

Cross-platform applications storefront GetJar unveiled GetJar+, a new pilot program offering consumers premium content for free, without any differences in gameplay or any ad insertions, registrations and the like. The GetJar+ initiative will launch in cooperation with games developer Glu Mobile--paid titles like Brain Genius 2, Stranded: Mysteries of Time, Build-a-Lot and Race Driver Grid will be available for free for a two-week period, and promoted in the "Recommended" section of the GetJar.com homepage. Games downloaded during the window of free availability will be the consumer's to keep even after the promotion concludes--all titles are optimized for mobile platforms including Android, BlackBerry and Java.

In an interview with FierceMobileContent, GetJar chief marketing officer Patrick Mork explained that the app store's revenue model facilitates initiatives like GetJar +--because the website makes money on sponsored app placements, not download sales, it can afford to purchase premium content from publisher partners like Glu Mobile and redistribute it for free. "In the movie industry, you either pay to see a movie in the theater, you wait and pay less to rent it on DVD, or you wait even longer to see it on cable for free. In mobile, we don't have a model like that," Mork said. "We're trying to break away from the try-before-you-buy model. A lot of consumers will not pay for premium mobile content--either they're on a prepaid plan, or they're cheap, or they just don't understand the perceived value. But you can reach those folks if you give your stuff away from free."

Mork added that GetJar will pay Glu Mobile a flat fee for each title offered for free. "Our model is about helping publishers promote their apps," he said. "We need to make sure publishers invest in the space and they only do that if they make money."

GetJar now offers more than 70,000 mobile applications--the site serves consumers spanning over 200 countries and roughly 2,300 different handset models, generating almost 100 million downloads per month. In late June, GetJar closed an $11 million Series B financing round led by Accel Partners.

For more on GetJar+:
- read this release

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