For those who don't know, Google Chrome Apps are web applications that run under Google's famous web browser, Chrome. These apps can be downloaded from the Chrome Web Store.
As Google Chrome Apps nears its 4th year, it is very sad to find out that it will be shut down soon. Gamasutra.com reports that after 3 years, Chrome apps for Windows, Mac, and Linux will be discontinued by Google as per their announcement.
Why so sad?
I say sad because, some people make a living out of Chrome apps. If you are developing something for Google Chrome Apps then you might want to stop coding for a bit and read this article. After that, you might want to start packing up those skills and rebuild something in another career path.
Vice president for product management, Rahul Roy-Chowdhury, announced in a blog post that Google is now shutting down the app web store primarily because most if not all of its offers and innovations are available on web applications that now work on different web browsers.
Google also added that new Chrome apps will exclusively be functional on Chrome OS devices over the next year. Late next year, Chrome Web Store will no longer show Chrome apps for Windows, Mac, or Linux.
Roy-Chowdhury said that out of all Chrome users across the 3 operating systems, only a percent are really using Google apps.
Gamasutra.com expresses that it is an unnoticed end for what once was a platform that has offered a dwelling, not to mention earning a living, place to a certain group of game devs Plarium and Goodgame Studios. Its closure would mean that a plethora of browser games will likely be only playable on Chrome OS devices.
Google also previously had to shut down its Native Client technology. It hosted games like Bastion for Google Chrome briefly, it also allowed developers to expose and publish their games in the said browser in parallel with a 'Steam' version.
Still hope for Chrome App developers
In his blog, Roy-Chowdhury announced that developers are encouraged to migrate their Chrome apps to the web. Developers who can't fully move their created apps however can help them prioritize new aPIs so that gaps left by Chrome apps can be filled. The vice president also added, "...in the short term, they can also consider using a Chrome extension or platforms such as Electron or NW.js."
