The reasons behind Tapjoy's efforts to push Android development are clear: the firm's run in with Apple over incentivised downloads pretty much sealed its allegiance to Google's OS.

Tapjoy is hoping, however, that its recently launched $5 million strong development fund for Android will make choosing to support the platform just as straightforward a move for the development community.

Unveiled in June, Michigan-based studio PixoFactor is the first to take advantage of the venture, signing a deal with Tapjoy to bring steampunk release Gaslight to Android.

Funding fun

Partial funding for the game was sourced from Tapjoy's fund, and the two parties have agreed to bring further releases in partnership to Android in the future.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"By leveraging Tapjoy’s resources and knowledge, this will allow us to create our own original IP and accelerate our cross platform game development," said president Sean Hurwitz.

"It's vital for a company like ours to stay out in front of the latest monetisation strategies, and with the rapid growth of the Android platform, we felt this was a great partnership for our company’s objectives."

Tool tapping

Such monetisation strategies include access to Tapjoy's tools such as its virtual currency engine.

By employing Tapjoy's ad network in its title, the developer will also be able to tap into the firm's game state server for virtual economy management and mobile analytics platform.

To top it all off, Tapjoy claims PixoFactor will benefit from new user acquisition, delivered through the firm's performance-based ad platform.

"PixoFactor is a great example of why we established our publishing fund," added Rob Carroll, director of publishing for Tapjoy.

"They are an experienced development studio that just needed a small amount of funding and marketing support to be able to start developing their own IP. We're looking forward to partnering with them in their success."