Hall N5 at ChinaJoy was dedicated to mobile games
According to market analysts App Annie and IDC, mobile games gained the largest share in the gaming industry in 2014, and this share only grew in 2015. According to this data, mobile games are played by more than a billion people on Earth, while the communities of those who are strictly committed to games on PC and consoles are much smaller. According to the report, as of 2015, the mobile games market was valued at $ 34.8 billion, while the PC and Mac gaming platform accounted for $ 29 billion. Home gaming consoles accounted for 18.5 billion, and portable ones accounted for 3 billion. According to App Annie and IDC, more than $ 85.4 billion were spent on games in 2015.
Games accounted for about 38% of downloads on Google Play and iOS App Store, but more than 80% of funds were spent on them. On Google Play, the share of funds spent on games was higher, but users spent more time on games for iOS than for Google Play.
“Now it's finally clear that mobile is the # 1 gaming platform,” VP of Marketing Fabien Nicholas told GamesBeat. “They account for 40% of user spending on games, which explains why Activision Blizzard bought King for $ 5.9 billion. When it comes to total time spent on games and total revenue, mobile games are now well received. '
Nicholas noted that very few companies are present in all major categories of the gaming industry. Among them, for example, Tencent, Activision Blizzard and Electronic Arts.
Mobile games take the lead
“In the past, mobile games have not been monetized as well as PC or console games,” he said. And now games like Clash of Clans, Monster Strike and Puzzle & Dragons are generating revenue comparable to Call of Duty and the like. '
IDC collected most of the information on PC and console games, while App Annie collected the bulk of information on mobile games.
Asia Pacific has increased its share of spending on games for iOS and on Google Play, largely due to the overall prosperity of the region and explosive growth iOS in China. Games for handhelds, PCs and Macs have all increased in the region, but home consoles have not seen much growth despite the 14-year ban on consoles in China lifted in 2015.
However, home consoles dominate other platforms when it comes to aggregate spending per device – five times that of mobile. Spending on home game consoles was disproportionately high in North America and Western Europe, while the Asia-Pacific region is the focus of mobile and PC and Mac games.
Clash of Clans by Supercell was the number one mobile bestseller on iOS and Mixi's Monster Strike on Google Play. The top-grossing top-grossing mobile games throughout the year were more consistent than handheld consoles. Costs for home and portable consoles declined slightly from 2013 to 2015.
In the US, players of both genders were roughly equally distributed on mobile, PC, and Mac. Among Americans who prefer home consoles, 59% were men. 53% of US handheld gamers are women.
However, according to Nicholas, handheld consoles in the US market are suffering from a market 'squeeze' that comes at the expense of children getting smartphones at an earlier age.
PC and Mac gamers are 'aging' in the US, with about 59% being aged 45 and over. Handheld consoles account for the largest proportion of young American gamers, at 36% under the age of 24. The largest category of Americans playing on mobile devices are people aged 25 to 44 – 40%.
“Avid gamers definitely play mobile games, especially when looking at games like Hearthstone,” says Nicholas. – The Call of Duty Companion App is very popular among those who play Call of Duty's mobile version.