Two years ago some analysts said that mobile games would surpass console games in terms of popularity, usage and revenue, and for now they they exceeded games for portable consoles. According to a study by IDC and AppAnnie, games for mobile devices now generate more revenue than games for handheld consoles. In fact, only the revenues of games for iOS and Android OS exceeded the revenues of games for mobile terminals, so we do not include here Windows Phone, Blackberry World or the Symbian platform.
A key takeaway from the report is that combined consumer spending on iOS App Store and Google Play games eclipsed that of dedicated handheld games in Q4. Dedicated handheld gaming showed particular seasonality; close to 60 percent of Q4 consumer spending on Nintendo and Sony handheld gaming software occurred in December, a significantly higher share than was the case for December iOS App Store or Google Play game spending. While the most popular games and their business models are quite distinct, Nintendo and Apple were surprisingly close in terms of aggregate consumer spend on game software in the fourth quarter of 2012.
The study analyzed the fourth fiscal quarter of 2012, and Apple and Nintendo are the companies that attracted the most money, a sign that the App Store is the logical choice of any new developer. It was expected that the games for mobile terminals will exceed the revenues for the games for the portable consoles, mainly because of the very low prices for which the titles can be purchased. Although for now the same thing is not happening in the case of classic consoles, it won't be long before we talk about changing that trend.
