Google Play improves discovery to focus on engagement over downloads

Google Play has tweaked its discovery algorithms to focus more on user engagement over download numbers to help smaller games earn more attention.

The move comes along with a series of improvements to the store announced at GDC 2017. Paul Bankhead, Director of Product Management at Google, spoke about the changes during Google's keynote speech.

Further improvements to discovery on Google Play include the ability for developers to run their own sales through the storefront whenever they choose.

Curation and engagement

The company is also planning better curation of high-quality titles with new editorial pages for different genres of games. This will better highlight games in dedicated areas outside of the front page.

Bankhead also noted the continued growth of Android and Google Play around the world. He wrote that over 300 million new Android devices were adopted in emerging markets such as Brazil, India, and Indonesia.

He also revealed a number of upcoming titles that are now available to pre-register for, including Kabam's Transformers: Forged to Fight, Epic Games' Battle Breakers, and NetherRealm's Injustice 2.