Microsoft has revealed that it will rollout its Windows Phone Marketplace in stages, which will mean that many developers will be unable to get apps into the store in time for the launch of the first Windows Phone 7 (WP7) devices – which are likely to be announced next week. The company says that a “couple of thousand” of its registered developers have been invited to participate in an “early submission” process, until its full self-serve submission process is “broadly enabled.” But even early participants in the programme will need to wait to reap the rewards: Microsoft says that the first payout based on sales-to-date will take place in February 2011.

Initial submissions to the store are being accepted from “first mover developers who already have their apps completed,” before the company “incrementally expands the number of apps we accept and certify.” In a blog post, Todd Brix, senior director of Windows Phone Product Management, says that “we’re starting something new here and we want to give developers a great experience, even if we have to iron out a few kinks behind the scenes along the way.”

Microsoft will next week provide its “early certification developers” with instructions on submitting their apps, allowing these products to be published on the Windows Phone Marketplace in the lead-up to, and immediately after, device launch. It will process submissions and prioritise requests in the order they are received in October and November, before developer self-submission becomes broadly available after this.

According to Brix, “test and final apps and games are already showing up on pre-production devices. The list of available titles will grow daily as we near general availability to ensure that end users have a great catalog to shop on the day they pick up their new phone.”

“Shortly” after Windows Phone devices become available, developers will be provided with insights into an app’s performance within the Marketplace. The reporting will “soon become more automated and self service,” and the company is also working on a beta distribution solution to allow developers to privately distribute apps for testing through the Marketplace.

Brix notes that the launch is Microsoft’s “second Marketplace launch in two years,” and that the company has “been given a unique opportunity to start from scratch and launch a Marketplace with one great year of experience under our belt…as I said earlier, our approach is philosophically the same…but now we know how to do it better.” The intention is to “keep our certification standards high and our policies transparent, while keeping the door closed to more questionable content.”

Last month, Microsoft announced the release of the final version of its Windows Phone developer tools, while also detailing its guidelines for app submissions. The company has already showcased some high-profile apps which will support the platform, including products from Twitter, Netflix, OpenTable, Flixster and Travelocity.