Following the UK Government's move to provide tax relief for creative industries, the mobile games software market is projected to grow over $12 billion in 2013 according to new research from UK trade association TIGA.

Research from Games Investor Consulting estimated that the mobile games market was worth $7.9 billion in 2011 and says its projected growth would see the market worth $12 billion in 2013.

In contrast, EA predicted the global mobile games market (including handheld digital downloads) would be worth $5.1 billion in 2013, although the likes of Juniper and Gartner reckon it's higher - up to $11 billion by 2015. 

Jumping ship

TIGA, the trade association that represents the UK games industry, says both mobile and tablet gaming markets offer great opportunities for UK developers and digital publishers with experience in console development.

"As smartphones and tablets evolve into powerful game platforms, top tier mobile games are increasingly resembling console games," said TIGA CEO Dr Richard Wilson.

"The use of high resolution, 3D games environments and core genres on mobile means that UK studios are well suited to such projects, not least given the UK’s significant experience in console development."

Bounce back Britain

According to TIGA, there are currently 134 British businesses developing games for mobiles, providing work to 960 development staff and contributing £98.5 million to the UK's GDP (Gross Domestic Product).

In 2011, 460 mobile games were released or updated by UK studios.

These figures have been published in advance of TIGA's smartphone and tablet conference taking place on 30 March in London.

[source: TIGA]