Apple Changes App Store Rankings For Free Games

Apple has changed the way free and freemium games are ranked in the App Store, as reported by Inside Mobile Apps. The new ranking algorithm reshuffled various App Store top lists over the weekend. Previously the free app list ranked games primarily by number of downloads. Now the ranking appear to weigh other factors like active usage.

One of the most noticeable app rank changes under the new algorithm was for Glu Mobile’s freemium Gun Bros game, which shot up to #32 on the top free list from a position that usually ranged below #75 and above #100. The new algorithm could have serious consequences for pay-per-install advertising networks like Tapjoy, whose services may now be less valuable to developers.

Apple also extended the top app rankings over the weekend, now letting users browse the 300 top apps in a given category instead of only the top 50. This change appears likely to make app discovery easier for users, as developers should have an easier time getting apps into the dramatically larger top lists.

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