Back in February, investment bank Digi-Capital predicted that the mobile and online markets would comprise half of the entire videogame industrys revenue in 2014, up from the existing 33 percent share.
The latest research from the NPD Group into consumer purchasing behaviour would appear to tally with Digi-Capitals prediction, with digital downloads for mobile reportedly accounting for half of all videogame downloads.
The NPD Groups study which surveyed 8,214 gamers between February 15th and March 14th 2011 revealed that even among online console players, digital downloads were most often purchased for mobile devices.
Fastest growing segment
According to Anita Frazier, an industry analyst at the NPD Group, "Mobile gaming represents one of the fastest growing segments of the digital games market, and potential for future growth remains strong as more consumers are using smartphones for games of all types, including the increasingly popular mobile game apps.
"It is important to keep in perspective that the full-game price points on mobile devices are generally lower than those for console and portables systems , so mobile's full game download unit share does not translate to a comparable level of consumer spend."
Of course, the survey doesn't seem to have differentiated between paid or free downloads, further emphasising the number of mobile downloads over their monetary value.
The NPD Groups report also delved into the issue of software cannibalisation by asking buyers of a mobile game in the previous quarter whether their overall spending habits on gaming had changed.
40 percent of these respondents reported that they were shelling out less on console and portable games, thus demonstrating the displacement effect mobile gaming is substantively having on the industry.
[source: NPD Group]
Data & Research
With a degree in German up his sleeve Richard squares up to the following three questions every morning: FIFA or Pro Evo? XBox 360 or PS3? McNulty or Bunk?
Related Articles
Top Stories
News
2 hours, 52 minutes ago
Scopely is celebrating Monopoly GO!'s first birthday with in-game events and rewards
News
4 hours, 56 minutes ago
Learn about the state of play in MENA and the changing payments landscape at the Dubai GameExpo Summit
News
6 hours, 56 minutes ago
MAG Interactive revenue falls by 25% Y/Y as it places “big bet” on new crossword game Crozzle
News
8 hours, 22 minutes ago
Monopoly GO! celebrates its first birthday and shares its behind-the-scenes story
News
8 hours, 22 minutes ago
Monopoly GO! celebrates its first birthday and shares its behind-the-scenes story
Feature
Apr 15th, 2024
46 top mobile games in soft launch: CSR 3, Plants vs. Zombies 3, LEGO Hill Climb Adventures, Candy Crush Blast, and more
Feature
Apr 15th, 2024
Hot Five: XCOM Legends’ rumoured shutdown, Squad Busters verges on soft launch, and Royal Match reaches $3 billion
Events
HIT Games Conference Istanbul 2024 | Apr 18th | |
Game Job Fair – Spring Edition 2024 | Nordic | Apr 18th |
Arts DAO Fest 2.0 | Middle East | Apr 20th |
App Promotion Summit London | Europe | Apr 25th |
Esports Future Summit | Middle East | Apr 27th |
Dubai GameExpo Summit 2024 | Middle East | May 1st |
The MENA Games Industry Awards 2024 | Middle East | May 2nd |
Mobidictum Meetup Berlin May 2024 | Europe | May 7th |