When the Amazon Appstore for Android launched, packing a mere 38,000 apps, you would have been forgiven for thinking it would be a cut-down version of the Android Market - a selection of greatest hits from Google's 150,000-strong distribution channel.

However, it's quickly become apparent that the new store offers a strong alternative to the Android Market, thanks not only to the one-day freebies and unique 'test drive' trial system, but also a range of exclusive big name Android titles like Angry Birds Rio and Highborn.

We spoke with Rade Stojsavljevic, co-founder and president of Highborn developer Jet Set Games, to discuss the company's decision to go with the young pretender and not King Google.

PocketGamer: Why did you choose the Amazon Appstore rather than Android Market when launching the Android version of Highborn?

Rade Stojsavljevic: There were a few things that drew us to the Amazon Appstore. First off is the ability to make our game more visible. Amazon is running an ad for the Appstore on their front page and once you visit the store it's very easy to find Highborn.

The second is Amazon has one of the best user experiences of any site on the web. From a consumer standpoint it's really easy to make a purchase, and Amazon is a company people trust with their credit card info.

Customer response to the service has been very positive. How are you finding it from a developer's perspective?

The service has been pretty good from a developer's perspective. The tools are great to work with and Amazon has been responsive when we have questions.

The developer site is very polished, especially for an early version.

Is there anything you'd like to see improved over the coming weeks?

I'd love to see the Appstore installation process simplified on an Android device. I'm not sure it’s anything they can fix in a few weeks but it's definitely something that could be streamlined.

From a developer support standpoint, I think more communication is always something we'd love to see. It would be great to have an ETA for app approvals when we upload a new version.

Will we see Highborn appear on the Android Market at some point in the future?

Right now we're happy with Amazon's Appstore, but in the future we’ll evaluate putting the game on other marketplaces.

A number of developers have been vocal about copyright and code theft on the Android Market. Was there a concern Highborn could suffer a similar fate?

It's rather odd that theft is an issue for an app priced at $1 but yes, that was a concern for us when we considered the Android Market.

Some of the brazen copyright theft I've seen is appalling and is something that is very unlikely to happen on the Amazon Appstore.

Will we see another Highborn game in the future?

Right now, we’re working to put Highborn Chapter 2 (already available for iOS) on Android devices. In addition, we're working on developing Chapter 3 for both platforms, and we’re also in the early stages of planning the sequel to the game.
Thanks to Rade for his time. Highborn is out now on the Amazon Appstore for 99 (Appstore link)