Nokia announced the rollout of its DVLUP rewards programme for Windows Phone developers internationally, which the struggling smartphone vendor said “empowers developers to increase the visibility and success of their applications”.

The company said that through participation in DVLUP, it is possible to create, book and manage promotional and marketing campaigns, “an industry first, as most application stores leverage algorithms to control promotional efforts”.

It also uses gamification techniques to “create a fun, inventive and competitive environment for developers to build successful Windows Phone applications”.

“By leveraging elements of gamification, developers earn points as they improve their app, empowering them to promote their app in marketing, advertising and merchandising channels like the Windows Phone Store. This creates a more transparent and fair app ecosystem, where developers are in control of their own success,” said Chanse Arrington, global head of developer business tools at Nokia.

DVLUP has been available as a pilot programme in the US and Canada since November 2013. From today, it is available in more than 20 countries, including Australia, Canada, China, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Poland, UK, US and Vietnam.

Membership of the programme is free.