Jest: The Messaging Game Marketplace Disrupting App Stores

For years, mobile gaming has been synonymous with app stores. Developers have poured countless hours, months, and even years into creating games, only to relinquish a substantial portion – up to 30% – of their revenue to dominant players like Apple and Google. This established model is now facing a significant challenge with the emergence of Jest, a novel marketplace for messaging games that recently stepped out of stealth mode with a $7 million seed funding round. Jest proposes a future where gaming isn’t confined to app stores, but thrives directly within your everyday messaging applications.

The Rise of RCS and the Shifting Gaming Landscape

Jest’s launch is perfectly timed with the growing adoption of Rich Communication Services (RCS), an advanced evolution of SMS. RCS delivers a more immersive experience through rich media, interactive features, and integrated payment options. The advancement of RCS is dramatically reshaping the mobile landscape. Apple’s embrace of RCS with iOS 18 in 2024 was a pivotal moment, and by May 2025, RCS was facilitating over a billion messages daily in the U.S., according to Google. This widespread adoption creates a fertile ground for in-message gaming experiences.

“Mobile game developers have been largely constrained by app store distribution as the primary means of reaching players,” explains Deyan Vitanov, CEO and co-founder of Jest, in an interview with GearTech. “RCS games reside within the messaging inbox – the most consistently used space on mobile – where people are already dedicating significant time to connecting with friends and family. We’re building upon an interaction pattern that’s already deeply ingrained in daily life.”

Image Credit: Jest

Jest empowers users to share and play games directly within their chat threads, bypassing the need to visit an app store. (Games launch in a web browser and require a Wi-Fi connection.) This convenience is particularly impactful as consumer game downloads are declining. Appfigures’ annual report indicates that mobile game downloads reached 39.4 billion in 2025, representing an 8.6% year-over-year decrease, following a 6.6% drop from 2023 to 2024. This trend suggests a growing preference for instant, accessible gaming experiences.

Early Traction and Impressive Engagement Metrics

Jest’s strategy is already demonstrating its effectiveness. Within just four months of its beta launch, by the end of January, the platform had achieved two key milestones: over 1,000,000 messaging games played and more than 300,000 messages exchanged. These numbers highlight the initial appeal of the platform and its potential for rapid growth.

“We’re observing 3-4 times better retention rates compared to traditional mobile apps. This represents a fundamental shift in user engagement. On the user acquisition front, we’ve validated that people will readily sign up and play games through messaging, with our early partners reporting 30-60% lower acquisition costs compared to mobile apps. It’s remarkably straightforward – simply tap a link, and you’re instantly playing,” Vitanov shared.

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Image Credit: Jest

A Developer-Friendly Marketplace with a Revolutionary Revenue Model

Jest isn’t simply about enabling games within messaging; it has constructed a dedicated marketplace tailored for these experiences. A particularly attractive aspect for developers is the revenue-sharing model: a generous 90/10 split, with 90% of earnings going directly to the creators. This is a significant departure from the standard 30% commission levied by traditional app stores, presenting a compelling new opportunity for gaming studios.

“There’s also a clever network effect built into the system. If one studio acquires a user, but another studio monetizes them, we distribute the economics as follows: 70% to the monetizing studio, 20% to the acquiring studio, and 10% to Jest. This creates powerful incentives, ensuring that even viral games with limited monetization can generate revenue streams for their developers when those users engage with other games on the platform,” Vitanov elaborated.

Jest has already garnered interest from several development partners, including the teams behind popular titles like “Episode,” “Puppy Mansion,” and “Kingdom Maker.” This early adoption by established studios validates the platform’s potential and its appeal to the gaming industry.

Fueling Growth with Seed Funding and a Dedicated Games Fund

The $7 million seed funding round, led by Innovation Endeavors, will be allocated towards scaling the platform and onboarding the initial cohort of gaming studios. This investment will be crucial in expanding Jest’s reach and solidifying its position in the emerging messaging game marketplace.

To further accelerate growth, Jest has also launched a dedicated Games Fund to provide support to studios at all stages of franchise development on the platform. This fund will deploy capital across three tiers:

• $1 million for flagship titles
• $200,000 for promising mid-stage titles
• $40,000 for exploratory projects and experimental concepts

This tiered approach ensures that studios of all sizes and with varying levels of ambition can access the resources they need to succeed on the Jest platform.

Expansion Plans and the Future of Messaging Games

Currently, Jest is live in the U.S. and is poised to expand to 14 additional countries by the third quarter of 2026. This international expansion will be a key driver of growth, bringing the platform’s unique gaming experience to a wider audience.

The rise of Jest signals a potential paradigm shift in the mobile gaming industry. By leveraging the power of RCS and the ubiquity of messaging apps, Jest is offering developers a more equitable and accessible path to reach players. As RCS continues to gain traction and consumer preferences evolve, Jest is well-positioned to become a leading force in the future of mobile gaming, disrupting the traditional dominance of app stores and ushering in a new era of instant, social gaming experiences. The platform’s innovative revenue model and commitment to developer support further solidify its potential for long-term success in this rapidly evolving market. The key to Jest’s continued success will be its ability to maintain high engagement rates, attract a diverse range of game developers, and seamlessly integrate with the evolving landscape of messaging technologies.