Mobile games become a new focus for Amazon

Amazon has taken a strong interest in the mobile sector, which should come as no surprise considering the company’s focus on the digital world. The online retailer has been making moves to establish a stronger presence in mobile commerce, but this is not the only approach that Amazon has taken on the mobile space. The company is preparing to launch an new service it calls AppStream, which has a very specific focus on mobile games.

New service to make mobile games more accessible to consumers

Mobile games represent some of the most used applications by consumers around the world. These games are quite popular and have become one of the most lucrative sectors of the game industry as a whole. New mobile games are entering the market at a rapid pace, and Amazon believes that consumers may benefit from a virtual hub through which they can find these games easily. As such, exposure is one of the top priorities of AppStream and Amazon believes that consumers will be able to find a wide variety of interesting mobile games through the service.

AppStream based on cloud technology

AppStream is built on a “pay as you go” model. Consumers will be able to find and play mobile games, paying only for the games they play; there will be no monthly fee for the service itself. All of the games that will be featured on AppStream will be available for all mobile operating systems. As such, Android and iOS users will be able to find a wide variety of mobile games through the service. Notably, the AppStream will be connected to a cloud computing system, which will host the games that consumers have access to. This means that the games that people play through AppStream will not take up the computing power or storage space of their mobile device.

AppStream could open the way for more advanced mobile games

Because AppStream is based on cloud technology, Amazon believes that it will become a popular platform among developers. The company believes that developers can use AppStream to host high fidelity mobile games that may be a bit more technologically advanced than conventional mobile devices. Games that make use of advanced 3D imagery, for instance, are not well supported on mobile devices. Through cloud technology, however, nearly any mobile device could play such games.

Results from a recent study are showing that content and shopping will rise in African countries.

The outcomes of an MEF study have revealed that industry leaders in the three participating countries feel that mobile commerce and content are on their way up, and that this channel will experience a strong future.

This is particularly true among the study participants in Kenya who expect considerable revenue growth.

One in three respondents to the African Growth Market Study, which examined mobile commerce and content, stated that end-user revenues over this channel have risen by a greater amount than had been anticipated, last year. This revealed considerable optimism for the future of the market, though it was not surprising to many who have already been witnessing some of the most rapid growth in m-banking and money transfers among smartphone users in the world.

The insight from the study also went on to identify some of the influence of m-payments in mobile commerce.

Within the studies, it was revealed that the main source of end-user revenue was made up of 30 percent mobile commerce, 37 percent social networks, but also a very large 53 percent m-banking.

For this reason, beyond mobile commerce, mobile payments are being seen as a substantial opportunity. The growth in this sector is being seen as the largest and fastest, currently estimated at 87 percent. This is followed by marketing over this channel. As the adoption of smartphones rapidly grows in this region and businesses build their confidence in it – and shrink their confidence in traditional downloadable content such as games and ringtones – other broader areas are starting to take off.

The CEO of MEF, Rimma Perelmuter, discussed the mobile commerce report by saying that it “provides an industry-wide snapshot on mobile activity and opportunities in Kenya today as part of our regional roadmap of activities, following the launch of our dedicated MEF Africa office in association with Vodacom in late 2012. Kenya is a market of great interest to our members and as the study clearly demonstrates a showcase for success, particularly in mobile money.”

The mobile commerce survey was supported by Nation Media Group and was conducted by MEF, along with KPMG