Apple App Store Team Shares Tips and Tricks for Getting Featured at Gamescom Dev

At the recent Gamescom Dev event, members of Apple’s App Store team shared insights and strategies for developers looking to launch games and secure promotional featuring on the platform. The session was hosted by Abhishek Radhakrishnan, who leads product and business development for the Apple Games app, alongside EU games editor Sergey Kuznetsov. Radhakrishnan opened the talk by sharing scale statistics for the platform, noting that the App Store reaches 850 million weekly visitors across 2.5 billion devices, operating 175 storefronts in 50 languages.

A significant portion of the presentation focused on the 'try before you buy' model for premium games. Radhakrishnan explained that this model removes upfront purchase barriers, opening up titles to a larger audience via a free initial download followed by a paywall to unlock the full game. Funday Games’ Deep Rock Galactic Survivor was highlighted as a case study utilizing this structure, with Funday’s Emil Kjaer later noting that their conversion rate on a €12.99 paywall was 13%. Apple also spotlighted its cross-platform universal purchase system, TestFlight, and the Game Center service, pointing out that integrating the Game Center API can grant games greater visibility across both the App Store and the Apple Games app through editorial placements.

For pre-launch campaigns, Radhakrishnan highlighted Devolver’s Ball x Pit pre-order success and reminded attendees that pre-orders can begin up to 180 days prior to launch, provided developers submit a working binary and a fixed business model for premium titles. Secret Mode’s pre-launch use of A/B testing icons for A Little to the Left via App Store Connect was also showcased. Furthermore, Radhakrishnan mentioned a new feature in the Apple Games app enabling developers to promote limited-time in-app purchase offers and discounts.

Editorial featuring remains a powerful tool, according to the team. The game Pools reportedly derived 70% of its downloads from editorial promotion. To secure a spot, developers are advised to use the 'feature nomination' process in App Store Connect at least three weeks prior to a launch or update. EU games editor Sergey Kuznetsov noted that collections can be algorithmically generated or hand-curated, and that cultural moments—such as International Women's Day, Earth Day, and Pride—drive Today tab featuring, requiring developers to submit featuring requests at least 10 weeks ahead.

When evaluating games for featuring, Kuznetsov emphasized that editors look at gameplay design, art, animation, sound, story, controls, performance, localization, and accessibility. Recent titles receiving prominent editorial attention include Gambonanza, Drive Rally, Mindcop, Sisyphos, and the Apple Design Award winner Afterplace, alongside accessibility standouts like Dead Cells.