Study: Mobile Game Sales to Rise 275%

Mobile games revenues are poised to grow by 275 percent by 2012 in North America, but poor marketing of mobile titles could hamper growth, according to Juniper Research.
UK-based Juniper research said in a study abstract that North American mobile games revenues would grow to $3 billion from $800 million in the next five years, thanks to improvements in user interface, “all-you-can-eat” data packages and the introduction of free trial periods for subscription-based games.

“This ‘try before you buy’ strategy not only makes the customer more comfortable about purchasing a particular title: it also makes him or her more familiar with mobile gameplay per se and will provide further encouragement for the consumer to seek out additional titles in the future,” said report author Dr. Windsor Holden in a statement.

Around 18 million Americans currently download or rent mobile games at least once per year, the report said.

While mobile games are becoming easier to peruse though and buy, the study suggests that not enough is being done to market mobile games, which could hinder growth.

Holden suggested that the mobile games market could expand the current demographic by introducing more “lifestyle” games.

The study said that over the next five years, advances in mobile gaming technology and game presentation would justify higher prices for mobile titles in the coming years.

Ads will find their way into more mobile games as well, with the proportion of ad-funded mobile game downloads reaching 30 percent by 2012.

Despite its fast growth, Juniper said revenues from the North American mobile gaming market will still lag behind those Asia and Western Europe over the next five years.

News-Source: Next-Gen