The latest alternative iOS app store in Europe is all about games

A new third-party app store is launching for iPhone users in the European Union that describes itself as being “built specifically for mobile gamers.” Skich is the latest in a short list of alternative app marketplaces to take advantage of Apple’s App Store restrictions being loosened by the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), including AltStore Pal, SetApp Mobile, and Mobivention.

The Skich Store is available to download in the EU for iOS via its official website starting today, and is claiming to offer a more “personalized experience” regarding game discovery and distribution compared to alternative app marketplaces. An Android version is also currently in development.

We should note, however, that Skich has no games available at launch. Aptoide, another gaming-focused third-party iOS app store, had eight basic titles when it launched last June, by comparison. Skich CEO Sergey Budkovski told The Verge that games will “start appearing on the platform in March,” and that the platform has received requests from around 20 developers “so far.”

“We’ve developed a Tinder-like recommendation system that perfectly matches gamers with games,” said Budkovski. “The algorithm behind it is powered by 240 genres, which is 14 times more than one can find in the App Store.”

We haven’t seen many third-party app stores launching since the DMA came into force in March last year. Even with an empty roster of gaming titles, that makes Skich notable, but we won’t be able to see if it truly does provide more optimized recommendations until it rectifies that issue.