A quick review of BlackBerry World, BlackBerry's app store, revealed that around 47,000 of the apps offered for download were made by a single developer, S4BB. Analysts said the revelation was humiliating considering the company's current attempt to look for "strategic alternatives."
Last May 14, 2013, BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins said there were 120,000 applications available in the BlackBerry World, meaning S4BB made over a third of the total apps. According to BerryReview, S4BB has been making weak software. It developed apps with low quality since its main aim was just to create traffic. Some of its apps were Mega Fart, Mega Shaver and Mega Machine Gun.
Analysts said the quality provided by S4BB was the least BlackBerry hoped to build when it made its BlackBerry 10 ecosystem. BlackBerry paid USD100 per approved app and guaranteed USD10,000 to developers who could meet the company's quality levels for BB10 apps.
"Developers in all app stores employ a number of different monetization tactics. BlackBerry World is an open market for developers and we let market forces dictate the success or failure of these tactics," Adam Emery, BlackBerry's spokesman, said. Emery declined to give more comment regarding the open market's flawed nature.
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