New Downloads Of Mobile Games On The Wane
The percentage of people downloading a new mobile game did not increase of the past year in the US and Western Europe, according to a new report from M:Metrics.
M:Metrics reports that 38.5 million, or 8.8%, mobile subscribers played a game they had downloaded and stored on their phone, although that number has been relatively flat from the year before, when 35.3 million, or 8.7%, played a downloaded game.
Only 14.4 million (3.3%) of mobile subscribers in the US and Western Europe downloaded a game in December 2007, versus 14.6 million (3.6%) in December 2006.
Spain has the highest penetration of those playing a downloaded game and the highest rate of mobile games downloads, at 12.7% and 5.6% respectively. France lags all other markets, at 3.5 percent playing a downloaded game and 1.3 percent downloading a new game in the month.
| Monthly Mobile Game Consumption (as Percent of Mobile Subscribers): December 2006 | ||||||
| France | Germany | Italy | Spain | UK | US | |
| Played games | 13.40% | 23.90% | 26.00% | 27.60% | 29.10% | 22.30% |
| Played downloaded games | 3.50% | 7.60% | 8.70% | 12.20% | 10.60% | 9.10% |
| Used browser to play games | 0.50% | 0.70% | 0.90% | 0.80% | 1.00% | 1.30% |
| Played native/preloaded games | 11.60% | 19.60% | 20.70% | 20.90% | 23.40% | 16.40% |
| Downloaded game | 1.30% | 2.50% | 3.60% | 5.60% | 4.90% | 3.70% |
| Source: M:Metrics. Survey of mobile subscribers. Data based on three-month moving average for period ending 31 December 2007, mobile subscribers in France, n = 12,783 Germany, n = 15,585; Italy, n = 13,059; Spain, n = 12,720; United Kingdom, n = 15,259; United States, n = 32,262. | ||||||
| Monthly Mobile Game Consumption (as Percent of Mobile Subscribers): December 2007 | ||||||
| France | Germany | Italy | Spain | UK | US | |
| Played Game | 14.00% | 23.30% | I5.6% | 28.10% | 28.70% | 21.00% |
| Played downloaded games | 4.00% | 7.70% | 8.70% | 12.70% | 10.60% | 9.00% |
| Used browser to play games | 0.40% | 0.40% | 0.70% | 0.60% | 0.90% | 1.40% |
| Played native/preloaded games | 11.70% | 18.70% | 20.10% | 20.40% | 22.90% | 14.80% |
| Downloaded game | 1.30% | 2.20% | 3.20% | 4.70% | 4.60% | 3.40% |
| Source: M:Metrics. Survey of mobile subscribers. Data based on three-month moving average for period ending 31 December 2007, mobile subscribers in France, n = 12,783 Germany, n = 15,585; Italy, n = 13,059; Spain, n = 12,720; United Kingdom, n = 15,259; United States, n = 32,262. | ||||||
Seamus McAteer, chief product architect and senior analyst, M:Metrics, said: “One of the greatest challenges facing publishers by the growing adoption of smartphones is the wide availability of free or pirated content for these devices.
“While these devices lend themselves to mobile media consumption, the openness of smart platforms opens up the Internet and frees consumers from the operator deck.
“To succeed in such a market game publishers will have to foster new models that may include subscriptions to online gaming communities, ad-funded or subsidized gaming, and physical distribution.”
| Mobile Subscriber Monthly Consumption of Content and Applications | ||||||||
| M:Metrics Benchmark Survey (Percent of Mobile Subscribers): December 2007 | ||||||||
| US | EU | FR | DE | IT | ES | UK | CN | |
| Watched video | 4.50% | 5.30% | 5.10% | 2.40% | 6.40% | 7.70% | 5.40% | 0.90% |
| Listened to music | 6.20% | 16.10% | 13.70% | 14.80% | 13.60% | 20.30% | 19.50% | 34.80% |
| Accessed news/info via browser | 13.00% | 9.20% | 9.20% | 5.10% | 7.80% | 7.40% | 15.90% | 6.10% |
| Received SMS ads | 19.00% | 51.20% | 64.60% | 31.50% | 57.30% | 72.30% | 37.30% | n/a |
| Played downloaded game | 9.00% | 8.50% | 4.00% | 7.70% | 8.70% | 12.70% | 10.60% | 10.00% |
| Accessed downloaded application | 4.60% | 2.70% | 1.20% | 2.10% | 4.10% | 2.50% | 3.50% | 2.40% |
| Sent/received photos or videos | 21.40% | 28.20% | 25.20% | 22.10% | 32.80% | 31.80% | 30.50% | 15.20% |
| Purchased ringtones | 9.70% | 4.20% | 4.30% | 3.70% | 4.80% | 4.40% | 3.70% | 4.40% |
| Used email | 11.90% | 8.40% | 6.50% | 6.50% | 10.40% | 9.30% | 9.50% | 2.50% |
| Accessed social networking sites | 3.90% | 2.50% | 2.10% | 1.20% | 2.20% | 2.60% | 4.30% | 2.20% |
| Source: M:Metrics. Survey of mobile subscribers. Data based on three-month moving average for period ending 31 December 2007, mobile subscribers in France, n = 12,783 Germany, n = 15,585; Italy, n = 13,059; Spain, n = 12,720; United Kingdom, n = 15,259; United States, n = 32,262; China n = 5,163 (cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenyang, Chengdu, Wuhan and Xi’an). | ||||||||
A report published by Understanding & Solutions in December claimed that there is a stronger growth rate in mobile gaming than in console and handheld markets (see Mobile Gaming Growing Quicker Than Console And Handheld Markets).
David Rouse, analyst at Understanding & Solutions, said: “Global revenues from mobile gaming are pegged at $3.6 billion this year, and we predict this figure to rise to $6.0 billion by 2011.”
Meanwhile, Juniper Research forecast that music, games and mobile TV will be the major contributors to the global entertainment market which will rise from just over $20 billion in 2006 to more than $64 billion by 2012.
Music, Games And Mobile TV To Grow).