Increasingly, the debate had by most mobile developers is not which platform to support, but rather just what monetisation model to adopt when they inevitably opt for the App Store.
Earlier in the week, Flurry reported the average IAP transaction now comes in at $14, suggesting developers of freemium releases are, in theory, making more money than some give them credit for.
Distimo's suggestion that the revenue generated by top freemium titles on Apple's platform has jumped tenfold since June 2010 adds to this commentary, coming just as the average selling price of the most popular paid games has begun to fall.
The best things in life are freemium
The combination of the two factors means an industry with an increasingly prominent freemium market is likely.
In fact, numbers for June 2011 suggest more money is made from freemium releases within the top 200 grossing games on the marketplace than from paid titles a significant change from this time last year.
"As of June 2011, 52 percent of all the revenue of top grossing games is generated by freemium games," said Distimo of the results.
"This implies that the revenue generated by top freemium games increased more than tenfold in this period, given the fact the total revenue of top 200 grossing games increased 79 percent in one year."
Virtual success
Distimo claims the main reason behind this surge is the increasing prevalence of virtual currencies.
"During the first six months of 2011, the proportion of the 300 most popular free games that used virtual currencies increased from 24 percent to 35 percent," Distimo added.
"An obvious example here is the highest grossing game in June, Tap Pet Hotel. This game is monetised just by its virtual currencies 'treats' and 'coins'."
Monetisation matters aside, however, it's hard to find all too much bad news in Distimo's numbers.
While, as stated, the average game price within the top 300 has fallen from $2.01 in June 2010 to $1.44 in June 2011, the popularity of games continues to surge.
On all major markets bar BlackBerry's App World, games are the most popular category, while in prominent marketplaces like the App Store for both iPhone and iPad and GetJar, games are growing at a faster rate than all other apps combined.
You can download Distimo's report for June from the firm's website.
Data & Research
With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font.
Related Articles
Top Stories
Feature
May 17th, 2024
New release roundup: The best new mobile games from a battle royale to a console classic remake
Feature
May 16th, 2024
Behind the scenes: How adding sandwich offers to an idle merge game boosted three metrics at once
Events
Digital Dragons | Europe | May 19th |
GamesBeat Summit 2024 | North America | May 20th |
Mobidictum Meetup Tallinn May 2024 | Europe | May 21st |
Nordic Game Spring 2024 | Nordic | May 21st |
Impact 2024 - Indie Games | May 23rd | |
Morocco Gaming Expo | Africa | May 24th |
MomoCon 2024 | North America | May 24th |
Unreal Fest Gold Coast 2024 | Australasia | May 29th |
Popular Stories
Feature
May 14th, 2024
53 top mobile games in soft launch: Squad Busters, Battle Guys: Royale, Plants vs. Zombies 3, LEGO Hill Climb Adventures, and more
Feature
May 13th, 2024
Hot Five: Dubai's new Gaming Visa, April's mobile game charts, and Xbox studio closures
Interview
May 13th, 2024