Monetization on mobile is a huge business and ScoreLoop wants a piece of the action. ScoreLoop, a white label social platform that helps developer implement social features into their iPhone and Android apps, is entering the monetization game by providing its developers with the ability to monetize their applications.
ScoreLoop will provide two primary monetization options for developers. First, they will enable virtual goods purchasing – similar to TapJoy’s virtual goods platform or Plus+ from ngmoco. Second, ScoreLoop will provide developers with a way of charging for downloadable content. For example, you could download a new theme or a new character by paying an extra $0.99.
CEO Marc Gumpinger admitted that their monetization features are not particularly new, but the value that ScoreLoop provides is white labeling. In fact, in the crowded sea of platform solutions for iPhone (more on that in a future post), ScoreLoop’s main differentiator is that it enables a fully white-labeled platform for developers. Big players such as MySpace, Astro Ranch publisher Tag Games, and Parachute Panic publisher FDG Entertainment are among ScoreLoop’s customers.
It’s interesting to see the various “platform” companies in the mobile space and their diverse moves into helping developers monetize. Due to the nature of the App Store, there is a huge need for developers to find the right method to monetize their free applications, and there’s a clear push in the industry of moving towards a freemium model on mobile. Analytics companies such as Flurry and Mobclix provide their analytics for free to gain a relationship with developers and have since turned that relationship into a monetization channel.
Others such as ngmoco’s Plus+, OpenFeint and now ScoreLoop, have created social networking platforms for the iPhone and are augmenting those by helping developers make money. I’m watching this sector closely and very interested to see how this dance shakes out.
ScoreLoop is based and founded in Munich, Germany, with offices in San Francisco and Beijing. They’ve raised $2.8 million from two of the biggest VC firms in Europe, Earlybird Venture Capital and Target Partners.