Jest Rises to Disrupt App Store Monopoly With Messaging Games
The traditional mobile gaming model, which forces developers to surrender up to 30% of their revenue to platforms like Apple and Google, is facing a direct challenge. Jest, a new marketplace for messaging-based gaming, has emerged from stealth with $7 million in seed funding to shift distribution away from centralized app stores.
By leveraging Rich Communication Services (RCS), Jest enables users to launch and play games directly within their chat threads. This approach avoids the need for external downloads, tapping into the high-engagement environment of messaging apps where users already spend a significant portion of their time.
The platform’s timing aligns with the global expansion of RCS. Following Apple’s integration of the protocol in iOS 18, Google reported that RCS supported over one billion daily messages in the U.S. by May 2025. This infrastructure allows for rich media and interactive features that make browser-based, instant-play games viable.
A New Economic Model for Developers
The financial incentive for developers is the core of Jest’s value proposition. While major app stores typically claim a 30% commission, Jest offers a 90/10 revenue split, keeping 90% of earnings with the creators. Furthermore, the platform utilizes a unique network effect to incentivize growth:
- Monetizing Studio: Receives 70% of revenue.
- Acquiring Studio: Receives 20% of revenue.
- Jest: Receives 10% of revenue.
Deyan Vitanov, CEO and co-founder of Jest, explained that this structure allows viral games that may struggle with monetization to still generate income when their users engage with other titles on the platform.
Early Traction and Future Growth
Jest enters the market as consumer interest in downloading traditional apps wanes. Appfigures reported that mobile game downloads fell to 39.4 billion in 2025, marking an 8.6% year-over-year decline. By contrast, Jest reports that its beta phase, which concluded in January, saw over 1 million games played and 300,000 messages exchanged.
The platform has already secured partnerships with the teams behind titles like “Episode,” “Puppy Mansion,” and “Kingdom Maker.” To support further expansion, the company has established a Games Fund with three tiers of investment:
- Flagship Titles: $1 million.
- Mid-stage Titles: $200,000.
- Exploratory Projects: $40,000.
Currently available in the U.S., Jest plans to expand into 14 additional countries by the third quarter of 2026.