The second most exciting Kindle launch this year, after Kindle 3, might be the Kindle App Store.
There’s some very interesting news today about the Xbox Director of Game Platform Strategy leaving to join Amazon. Seattle PI writes -
Andre Vrignaud, Microsoft’s director of game platform strategy, is moving across town to work for Amazon.com, he announced on his blog last week.
Vrignaud, who has worked in the video-game industry for two decades, joined Microsoft in 2002 to help build the Xbox Live gaming network — which has since turned Xbox into one of the company’s million-dollar businesses.
Of course million-dollar business hardly does justice to a service that has over 10 million paying subscribers (at least that’s what the claim is by Seattle PI) and 20 million plus total subscribers. In a world dominated by free having 10 million paying subscribers (paying $7.99 a month) is commendable.
Also, Xbox Live brings in more than 1 billion in annual revenue. Making it a billion dollar business.
Where would a ‘Director of Game Platform Strategy’ go?
There are two possibilities -
- Join a new gaming initiative that Amazon has kept under wraps. A Kindle Gaming Device or a Kindle Phone.
- Join the Kindle App Store team and help grow it.
Here’s what Andre Vrignaud had to say about his new role at Amazon -
Well, I guess I’ll just cut to the chase and say that I’m moving on from Microsoft to take a new role at Amazon.
Can’t really talk about details at this point, but it’ll become pretty evident soon enough… and you all know where my passions lie.
The ‘it will become pretty evident soon enough’ strongly suggests that either the Kindle App Store or a Gaming Kindle or a Kindle Phone with Gaming Apps will be arriving in the next few months.
He throws in a few more clues -
I’m also obviously very intrigued about what Amazon is looking to do.
Can’t share much more right now.
Hopefully we’ll be able to have some interesting conversations in the not too distant future!
Again, strongly suggests it’s something that’ll arrive this year. Perhaps a Gaming Kindle.
Could Amazon be using Kindle App Store as a testing ground for a handheld Kindle game device?
It’s not out of the question that Amazon thinks -
- Let’s try out games and apps on the Kindle 3.
- Let’s build out our Kindle game device.
- Let’s see how games and apps do and get feedback and refine.
- In parallel let’s perfect our gaming device (or Kindle phone or whatever it is).
- Then, when everything’s well-tested, let’s release a Kindle Phone (or Kindle Gaming Device) with an already existing app store.
The Kindle 3 is doing very well and Kindle has given Amazon confidence it can do hardware - Why not expand? Wireless.Amazon.com is already doing well (anecdotal evidence) and that would be great platform to start selling a Kindle Phone from.
The one big advantage Apple has is its app store and Amazon probably thinks it can use -
- Kindle App Store.
- Kindle WhisperNet.
- The new Director of Game Platform Strategy’s experience with building platforms.
To create a worthy competitor.
By end of 2010 we’ll either see Kindle 3 and Kindle 2 get a solid App Store or the arrival of a Kindle Gaming Device – perhaps both.
Filed under: kindle app review Tagged: | kindle app store, kindle game device
