Netflix-like game rentals coming to Android via T-Mobile and WildTangent

According to All Things D, T-Mobile USA is partnering with games service WildTangent on Android game rentals costing 25 cents per day. The game service draws from WildTangent’s service for PCs which has 25 million active users. Due later this year, it will come preloaded on select Android device and support carrier billing. T-Mobile USA is even attended the E3 show in Los Angeles this week, a first-ever for the company, to promote the initiative.

The idea here is to try games before you buy them, similar to the Android Market’s 15-minute refund policy and Google’s try-before-you-buy system. If you later buy the game, the 25-cent charge is applied against your purchase. The system is designed around the WildCoins virtual currency costing between four to ten bucks a month. Purchased WildCoins can be then used to pay for game rentals and in-game micropayments.

Certain ad-supported titles will even let you sit through commercials to rent games and get in-game items. If the system takes off and if AT&T’s proposed acquisition of T-Mobile USA gets an approval from Uncle Sam, they could scale that to a huge portion of the combined Android subscribers on T-Mobile’s and AT&T’s network. It’s nice seeing people inventing new solutions beyond the 99-cent economy. Micropayments and app rentals could be the way to go in the Android community?