If there's one trend that mobile game developers and publishers have been grappling with 2010, it's been managing their switch to a cross-platform mobile world.
To some degree this means there's been a relative decline in the importance of iPhone as other platforms emerge.
That said, ranked against the ten non-Apple platforms cited in our survey, iPhone remains far-and-away the lead device for developers and publishers, with 85 percent citing it as a major device for them.
The iPad is off the blocks quickly too, with 21 percent calling it major and 44 percent a significant platform for them in 2010. In addition, 62 percent think it will be a significant revenue source for the industry.
Best of the rest
In terms of other platforms, Android does well with 54 percent of respondents calling it either major or significant, compared to 33 percent for Windows Mobile, and 31 percent for console download platforms.
The portable console download services haven't caught the attention of mobile developers, however, with PSP Minis only gaining significant support from 15 percent and DSiWare 13 percent.
Instead, Facebook and social gaming are the other key growth areas, with 51 percent calling it major or significant, while 34 percent of developers say integrating and republishing games on Facebook is now a major priority for them.
The traditional mobile platforms are falling off in importance, although slowly, with 41 percent of the survey still calling Java major or significant, compared to 26 percent for Brew and BlackBerry.
The future's bright
In general, our surveyed companies are optimistic about 2010, with 49 percent expecting an increase in the number of people employed in the industry, and 51 percent expecting total revenues to increase.
Indeed, 43 percent defined themselves as very optimistic concerning their company's outlook during 2010, with a further 36 percent being somewhat optimistic.
For the full analysis of our survey, plus mobile gaming business models, and 100 pages of additional data about the industry, get your copy of the PocketGamer.biz Mobile Games Trends Report 2010 now.
