The user acquisition dilemma - both cost and quality - continues to rank high on the list of developers' complaints.

That means there's plenty of opportunity for third party networks such as Chartboost, Applifier and PapayaMobile to come up with solutions.

And now publishers are also getting in on the act.

Facebook turned mobile outfit 6waves (previously 6waves LOLapps and 6L) is looking to reinforce its new mobile direction with a completely free solution it's called WaveX.

Bigger network

"We've been talking to our developer partners, and this is something several of them have asked for," explains SVP of publishing Jim Ying.

Thanks to its 6L fund, 6waves currently has more than 40 mobile developers signed up, with the first games from the initiative - Harebrained Schemes' Strikefleet Omega and Brainz's Vampire Season - now out on iOS.

"We don't want to keep WaveX just for ourselves. We're happy to let all developers who are interested signed up. The more, the better," Ying points out.

One for you, one for me

A very simple approach, WaveX will launch as a pure self-service download exchange platform, with each install your game provides for another developer resulting in you gaining a download to 'spend' at a later date.

There won't be an option to spend real cash to gain more downloads, nor will 6waves take a margin of the exchaged installs for itself.

"With the launch of WaveX, we look forward to working with an expanded pool of independent developers from around the world to help them grow the global audience of their games," added Josh Burns, 6waves' director of product.

For more information on WaveX, check out the website.