The total sum of money users spent on mobile games in Google Play surpassed game sales for specialist handheld games devices for the first time in Q2 2013, according to IDC and App Annie. Together with Apple’s App Store, the two mobile app marketplaces generated sales four times greater than for gaming-optimized handhelds. App Store game revenue has been higher than specialist game devices for some time.
Games accounted for around 40% of all app downloads in Google Play and the App Store and more than 70% of revenue. Games continued to lead app store growth during the period.
The majority of game-based revenue for Google Play came from the Asia Pacific region, with Japan and South Korea particularly significant contributors.
The situation is a bit different on the iOS, with revenues coming from all around the world, including North America, Western Europe and Asia Pacific, while handheld game devices saw Western Europe contribute a greater proportion of revenue despite Asia Pacific remaining the biggest market.
Looking forward, it’s clear that mobile games will be further growing while dedicated handheld devices will continue to decline…
[Via: MobileWorldLive]