Beyond Tetris: The Future of Mobile Games
Sega isn’t one of the top four mobile developers, but they did have this early iPhone hit.
Mobile gaming is a growing industry. Better phones, better developers, and better quality games are contributing to an upward spiral of quality cell phone gaming. And according to media analyst Screen Digest, the top four developers of mobile phone games are tightening their grip on the market.
EA Mobile, Gameloft, Glu and THQ Wireless saw their collective shares of the global market double from 11 percent to 22 percent in 2007, and the figure is rising steadily.
Western Europe remains fertile soil for mobile game development, and Gameloft is pressing the attack on EA Mobile for the number one spot.
As of March 31, 2008, Gameloft was reporting earnings of $40 million, a cool million shy of EA Mobile’s figures ($41 million, for those who don’t like math). Screen Digest expects Gameloft to surpass EA mobile within the year.
However, the US market, which is rapidly developing, may eventually surpass mobile leaders Europe and Asia to become the biggest market for cell phone games.
The marriage of rising technical capabilities and quality developers should produce some blockbuster mobile titles, a necessary step to improving the cellular phone’s viability as a platform. And as top developers gain more of the market share, the likelihood of seeing something a little deeper than Tetris on your phone is looking good.
