Top Windows Phone 7 apps are in the six figure club

TNW Quick Hit:

There is new data out concerning the potential commercial viability of developing for the Windows Phone 7 application marketplace that is quite interesting: top applications have shot past the $100,000 gross sales mark, and are in certain cases outgrossing their brother applications on Android.

Through January, three WP7 apps crossed the six figure barrier. There is however a caveat, two of those three apps were actually developed by Microsoft Games Studios. Pac-Man, the highest selling application that Microsoft did not create, was built by Namco Bandai Games. It retails for for $4.99 and has moved 23,400 units, putting its sales far above the $100,000 mark.

Other standout independent games included Krashlander, which sold nearly 16,000 units up to the same date.

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There seems to be firm evidence that there is enough of an install base to make Windows Phone 7 development feasible for game developers, if not yet developers of other stripes. This seems to be mostly due to Windows Phone 7 applications often being priced higher than similar applications on other platforms. Why the price discrepancy? Developing for WP7 is still risky, so companies are running higher prices to bring in enough revenue per unit to ensure that costs are covered.

Finally, a short note on total sales on WP7 versus Android. Fruit Ninja has grossed $150,000 on Windows Phone 7, and under $20,000 on Android. The app on WP7 sold more units at three times the price. Make that what you will.