RIM has announced at its BlackBerry Jam keynote address in Orlando today that it'll be guaranteeing that developers will make at least $10,000 in sales of their BlackBerry 10 apps in the first year — if they don't, RIM will cut a check for the difference. It's a widely-held belief that developer participation in a mobile ecosystem is what ultimately makes or breaks it (which is why Microsoft has been incentivizing developers on Windows Phone in a variety of ways), but this takes it to a new level: developers don't want to spend the time to port their apps or write new ones if they won't see a return on investment, and a guaranteed payout of $10,000 is an interesting attempt to alleviate those concerns.
CrackBerry reports that there are terms and conditions involved — you can't just submit a completely useless app, sit back, and wait for your $10,000 check to roll in — but it sounds like developers giving it an earnest go will be rewarded in kind.
Update: we have more details on the terms and conditions: Apps must be certified to be "quality certified" by a third party and make at least $1,000 in order to qualify for RIM's guarantee.