Achievements turned legit: Play games, get rewarded with stuff from Amazon, Target, and more

The best part of a long day playing Skee-Ball and Whack-A-Mole at the arcade was getting to cash in your tickets for prizes. This concept is now starting to take off on mobile, and the prizes are still just as real.

Real-world loyalty network Lootsie launched its software-development kit today. This will enable game developers to add support for Lootsie’s service, which rewards gamers with points when they accomplish certain achievements. Players can then redeem these points in the Lootsie Marketplace for things like gift cards and other items from retailers like Amazon, Target, and Walmart.

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Lootise believes it provides a workable alternative to banner ads and in-app purchases for developers looking to generate revenue. And it thinks it is creating a situation that everyone will benefit from since developers will bring in money, retailers will bring in more customers, and gamers will get money-saving rewards.

“Carefully crafted to enhance the user experience — not detract from it — Lootsie rewards are like credit card ‘thank you’ points for mobile apps,” Lootsie chief executive officer Marc Mitchell said in a statement. “With Lootsie, we offer a fresh way for advertisers to engage and create loyalty without being annoying, allowing users to gather points from multiple achievements while they continue their app experience with minimal interruption.”

Lootsie is already in more than 100 mobile games. By opening the SDK to all developers, this number could take off.

“As a developer, we’re constantly trying to solve the puzzle of user engagement, retention, and monetization, and Lootsie delivers a solution that keeps our users happy without detracting from our intended app experience,” Gem Slots marketing manager Benjamin Klein said.  “Lootsie lets us engage with our users at key points of achievement, yet allows everyone to turn those moments into so much more.”