Tag: social gaming

Spending in mobile games dominated by “whales”

| May 31, 2013

Playnomics sheds some light on spending in mobile games

Playnomics, a social game analysis firm, has released new data concerning the financial aspects of mobile games and in-app purchases. Mobile games are typically free to obtain, which is partly why they have become so popular among consumers. Because many of these games are free, developers rely heavily on advertisements and in-app purchases to generate revenue. In-app purchases, often referred to as microtransactions, are somewhat controversial among consumers, but any controversy surrounding the issue has not been enough to deter consumers from actually spending money on mobile games.

Spending dominated by top 1% of consumers

According to the data from Playnomics, there is a significant disparity among the consumers that are spending money on mobile games. The data shows that the top 1% of new consumers spending money on these games represent 33% of all spending on these games. These consumers are referred to as “whales” in the mobile games space because they hold considerable purchasing power. The data also shows that the top 20% of consumers represent more than 90% of all spending in mobile games.

Mobile Games SpendingMajority of consumers are not spending money on mobile games

Playnomics has examined the behavior of more than 1.7 million consumers that play mobile games and social games. The company found that approximately 0.77% of these consumers were spending money on in-app purchases. The data suggests that the vast majority of consumers are not spending any money on mobile games, apart from the price they pay to acquire games that are not free outright. Playnomics notes that the top 1% of consumers spending money on these games represent the majority of the spending being seen in the mobile games space.

Data shows that a single consumer can spend as much as $7,400 on mobile games

The data shows that a single consumer that is in the 1% bracket can spend as much as $7,400 on in-app purchases. The average consumer will spend approximately $43 on mobile games and in-app purchases. Playnomics notes that consumers will typically spend nearly 30 minutes per play session and complete an average of 5.9 play sessions in any given day.

Google+ Games to shut down in favor of mobile games

| May 22, 2013

Google+ shuts down in favor of mobile gamesGoogle has high hopes for mobile games

Google has been making some major announcements recently concerning its various online ventures. Last week, the company announced its intentions in the social gaming space. Google has been seeing a great deal of promise in the game industry and has adopted a focus on mobile games, which have become one of the most lucrative sectors in gaming today. Google has plans to make mobile games more social, but not to tether these games to any particular website or online space.

Google+ Games will close at the end of June

In order to keep mobile games mobile, Google has announced that it will be shutting down its Google+ Games service at the end of June this year. Google+ Games served as a platform for social games in the same way that Facebook has done for years. The platform supports games like Angry Birds, CityVille, and Triple Town, as well as various others. The platform does not align with the company’s vision of mobile games, however, and Google will be focusing its efforts on other ventures.

Developers may return unused funds in games to consumers

Those interested in continuing to play the games that were available through Google+ Games will have to contact that game’s developer. According to Google, the funds that consumers spend on these games will also be an issue that must be handled with developers. Some games will be migrating to other platforms, where unused funds will be honored by the development team. Those that will not be migrating may be inclined to returned unused funds, but there is no guarantee that this will be the case with all developers.

Google Play may draw more people to Google+

With Google+ Games coming to a close, Google is likely to put most of its attention on its Google Play service. This service is being designed specifically for mobile games and is meant to introduce social elements into this space. Google expects that this new service will help boost the adoption of its own social network, which continues to struggle to find a foothold against social networking titans like Facebook and Twitter.