WildTangent’s Android rent-or-buy game app now available worldwide

Beginning today, Android mobile device owners from across the globe will be able to rent, purchase and play games for free through WildTangent‘s Games App, a highly curated service for mobile games. 

The idea is to give users access to some high-quality games from established publishers Glu, GameHouse and HalfBrick, making the process of game discovery easier on a platform where there are thousands of titles that are hard to sort out.

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As previously announced, WildTangent’s Games App will not be as well-populated as Amazon’s 13, 000-strong Android app store but will instead feature approximately 75 to 100 hand-picked titles. Based off their extremely successful online/PC service, WildTangent’s latest offering is the first of its kind on the market.

Redmond, Wash.-based WildTangent holds patents on the ability to rent media through use of digital currency, which may limit others from duplicating the service.

“Just like movies and music, consumers prefer to own some titles, rent some and watch some for free, and we’ve brought these same options to games,” said Sean Vanderdasson, senior vice president at WildTangent. “With our new Android service, game developers will expose their games to the widest audience possible, using the most comprehensive business model in the games industry.”

Thus far, responses have been extremely favorable, something that can be potentially attributed to the fact that a rental system may be just what the Android marketplace needs.

“We believe they’ve come up with a great idea, a rental model that can satisfy most customers by letting them try and find the right content,” said Polarbit chief executive Mitri Wiberg.

Consumers utilizing smartphones or tablet PCs with Android OS 2.2 can download the WildTangent Games App by going to www.wildtangent.com/GamesApp. Currently, the app supports only the English language but it looks as though plans to localize both the app and its content are in the works.

WildCoins, WildTangent’s multi-platform virtual currency, can be used to rent or purchase games. Rental prices will vary; many 24-hour game rental sessions start as low as $.25 or one WildCoin.