Mobile Gaming

Outlook for One-Off Purchases, In-App Payments, Advertising, Subscriptions, and Companion Apps

Research Report

The smartphone's capabilities as a portable gaming console are similar to to those it includes as a navigation device or a personal media player. A jack-of-all-trades of consumer electronics, the smartphone cannot fully match the specs and the functionalities of purpose-built products, but it meets the needs of most consumers. For the gaming industry it enables many critical things. Mobile Internet access enables over-the-air distribution to smartphones, application storefronts enable discovery, and touchscreens allow users to interact with the game in ways that were not previously possible. This study is about games that are played on smartphones and other mobile handsets. The qualitative part of the study includes descriptions of available types of games and revenue models, analyses of market drivers and inhibitors, and an overview of the main technology issues. The quantitative part provides forecasts for user bases and end-user revenues, broken down by revenue segment and geographic region. The report also presents data on relevant consumer trends gathered by ABI Research’s latest Bi-Annual Consumer Technology Barometer, which was conducted in seven countries (China, France, Germany, India, South Korea, United Kingdom, and United States) during the second quarter of 2011.

Table of Contents

  • Top Line Forecast
  • Drivers
  • Inhibitors
  • Customer Base Forecast
  • Summary and Strategic Recommendations
  • 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
    • 1.1. Overview
    • 1.2. Market Drivers for Mobile Games
    • 1.3. Market Inhibitors for Mobile Games
    • 1.4. Highlights of Market Forecasts and Surveys
    • 1.5. Revenues
    • 1.6. Mobile Gaming Users
    • 1.7. Frequency of Mobile Gaming by Age and Gender
  • 2. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
    • 2.1. Conclusions
    • 2.2. Recommendations for Game Developers
    • 2.3. Recommendations for Mobile Operators
  • 3. BUSINESS ISSUES
    • 3.1. Mobile Gaming Categories
    • 3.2. Hardcore Games
    • 3.3. Casual Games
    • 3.4. Social Games
    • 3.5. Mobile Companion Apps
    • 3.6. Gamified Applications
    • 3.7. Revenue Models
    • 3.8. One-off Payment
    • 3.9. In-app Payments
    • 3.10. In-game Advertising
    • 3.11. Subscription
    • 3.12. Merchandise
    • 3.13. Market Drivers
    • 3.14. Rise of Smartphones
    • 3.15. Digital Distribution
    • 3.16. "De-stigmatization" of Gaming
    • 3.17. Social Networks as a Gaming Platform
    • 3.18. Virality
    • 3.19. Market Inhibitors
    • 3.20. Abundance of Alternative Entertainment
    • 3.21. Difficulty of Discovery
    • 3.22. Lack of Successful Billing Systems
    • 3.23. Content Piracy
    • 3.24. Regulation
  • 4. TECHNOLOGY ISSUES
    • 4.1. Native or Web?
    • 4.2. On-demand Cloud Gaming
    • 4.3. Near-field Communication and Games
    • 4.4. Mobile Augmented Reality
    • 4.5. 3D Graphics and Viewing
  • 5. COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
    • 5.1. Value Chain in a Nutshell
    • 5.2. Dynamics of Game Development and Publishing
  • 6. MARKET FORECASTS AND SURVEYS
    • 6.1. Definitions
    • 6.2. Forecast Methodology
    • 6.3. Consumer Survey Methodology
    • 6.4. Mobile Gaming Revenues by Revenue Segment
    • 6.5. Mobile Gaming Revenues by Region
    • 6.6. Mobile Gaming Users by Region
    • 6.7. Interest in Mobile Gaming Apps by Country
    • 6.8. Uptake of Mobile Gaming Apps by Age and Gender - United States
    • 6.9. Frequency of Mobile Gaming by Age and Gender - United States
  • 7. COMPANY DIRECTORY
  • 8. ACRONYMS
  • 9. LINKS TO RELATED RESEARCH
    • 9.1. Scope of Study
    • 9.2. Sources and Methodology
    • 9.3. Notes

Tables

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  1. Mobile Gaming Revenues by Revenue Segment, World Market, Forecast: 2011 to 2016
  2. Mobile Gaming Revenues by Region, World Market, Forecast: 2011 to 2016
  3. Mobile Gaming Users by Region, World Market, Forecast: 2011 to 2016
  4. Mobile Gaming Penetration vs. All Wireless Subscriptions by Region, World Market, Forecast: 2011 to 2016
  5. Mobile Companion App Users by Region, World Market, Forecast: 2011 to 2016
  6. Mobile Game Subscriptions by Region, World Market, Forecast: 2011 to 2016
  7. One-Off Payment Revenues by Region, World Market, Forecast: 2011 to 2016
  8. In-Game Advertising Revenues by Region, World Market, Forecast: 2011 to 2016
  9. In-App Payment Revenues by Region, World Market, Forecast: 2011 to 2016
  10. Mobile Game Subscription Revenues by Region, World Market, Forecast: 2011 to 2016
  11. Mobile Companion App Revenues by Region, World Market, Forecast: 2011 to 2016
  12. Interest in Mobile Gaming Apps vs. Other Apps - Germany, Germany, Consumer Survey: 2011
  13. Interest in Mobile Gaming Apps vs. Other Apps - France, France, Consumer Survey: 2011
  14. Interest in Mobile Gaming Apps vs. Other Apps - United Kingdom, United Kingdom, Consumer Survey: 2011
  15. Interest in Mobile Gaming Apps vs. Other Apps - China, China, Consumer Survey: 2011
  16. Interest in Mobile Gaming Apps vs. Other Apps - India, India, Consumer Survey: 2011
  17. Interest in Mobile Gaming Apps vs. Other Apps - South Korea, South Korea, Consumer Survey: 2011
  18. Interest in Mobile Gaming Apps vs. Other Apps - United States, United States, Consumer Survey: 2011
  19. Interest in Mobile Gaming Apps - Cross-Country Comparison, Western Europe, Asia and United States, Consumer Survey: 2011
  20. Uptake of Mobile Gaming vs. Other Activities, United States, Consumer Survey: 2011
  21. Frequency of Mobile Gaming by Age and Gender, United States, Consumer Survey: 2011

Charts

  1. Mobile Gaming Revenues by Revenue Segment, World Market, Forecast: 2011 to 2016
  2. Mobile Gaming Users by Region, World Market, Forecast: 2011 to 2016
  3. Mobile Gaming Revenues by Revenue Segment
  4. Mobile Gaming Revenues by Region
  5. Mobile Gaming Users by Region
  6. Mobile Gaming Penetration vs. All Wireless Subscriptions by Region
  7. Mobile Companion App Users by Region
  8. Mobile Game Subscriptions by Region
  9. One-Off Payment Revenues by Region
  10. In-Game Advertising Revenues by Region
  11. In-App Payment Revenues by Region
  12. Mobile Game Subscription Revenues by Region
  13. Mobile Companion App Revenues by Region
  14. Interest in Mobile Gaming Apps vs. Other Apps - Germany
  15. Interest in Mobile Gaming Apps vs. Other Apps - France
  16. Interest in Mobile Gaming Apps vs. Other Apps - United Kingdom
  17. Interest in Mobile Gaming Apps vs. Other Apps - China
  18. Interest in Mobile Gaming Apps vs. Other Apps - India
  19. Interest in Mobile Gaming Apps vs. Other Apps - South Korea
  20. Interest in Mobile Gaming Apps vs. Other Apps - United States
  21. Interest in Mobile Gaming Apps - Cross-Country Comparison
  22. Uptake of Mobile Gaming by Age and Gender
  23. Frequency of Mobile Gaming
  24. Mobile Gaming Revenues by Revenue Segment, World Market, Forecast: 2011 to 2016
  25. Mobile Gaming Users by Region, World Market, Forecast: 2011 to 2016
  26. Frequency of Mobile Gaming, United States, Consumer Survey: 2011
  27. Mobile Gaming Revenues by Revenue Segment, World Market, Forecast: 2011 to 2016
  28. Mobile Gaming Revenues by Region, World Market, Forecast: 2011 to 2016
  29. Mobile Gaming Users by Region, World Market, Forecast: 2011 to 2016
  30. Interest in Mobile Gaming Apps - Cross-Country Comparison, Western Europe and Asia, Consumer Survey: 2011
  31. Uptake of Mobile Gaming by Age and Gender, United States, Consumer Survey: 2011
  32. Frequency of Mobile Gaming, United States, Consumer Survey: 2011

Figures

  1. The Value Chain of Mobile Gaming
  2. The Forecast Model