Tag: japanese mobile gaming

Mobile games spending in Japan reaches new heights

| September 26, 2013

Japan surpasses US in mobile games spending

It is no secret that mobile games have become very popular throughout the world. These games also happen to be a very lucrative sector for the worldwide game industry. People playing mobile games tend to spend money frequently in order to unlock additional content or purchase in-game items and digital currency. Spending in the mobile games sector has been on the rise over the past few years and now Japan has surpassed the U.S. in terms of spending, according to a new report from NewZoo, a game industry market research firm.

iPhone proves popular among consumers, but Google Play is gaining momentum

According to NewZoo, the iPhone is one of the most popular platforms for mobile games in Japan, followed by Android devices. Since 2007, the U.S. had been the top grossing market for the iPhone when it comes to mobile games. Now, however, Japanese consumers are collectively spending massive amounts of money on mobile games for their iOS devices and are also showing a great deal of enthusiasm for games on Android devices. NewZoo expects that spending for iPhone games in Japan will exceed $1 billion this year, but spending for Android games will surpass that milestone.

Mobile Games SpendingGoogle Play is outpacing Apple

Google Play has become very popular in Japan. While many consumers favor the iOS platform, many more are spending money on Google Play. South Korea is the only other large country where Google Play outshines the Apple App Store in terms of mobile games revenues. Germany and Spain are close behind South Korea and Japan. Google Play is gaining significant momentum among mobile consumers throughout the world, except in China, where Apple has focused the majority of its efforts in the Asian market.

China proves to be important for mobile gaming

China is considered a valuable market, especially where mobile games are concerned. Mobile gaming has become one of the most popular pastimes in the country, which has sparked strong growth in the game industry. Japan, however, remains the top market for games in general. The country is home to a wide variety of mobile games, as well as those for consoles and the PC. Spending on mobile games in Japan is expected to continue growing at a fast pace for the foreseeable future.

Japanese publishers showing more love for mobile games

| June 7, 2013

Japan may lead the charge toward mobile games

Japan has long been a hub of activity in the game industry. The country is home to many of the world’s most acclaimed game development studios and publishers and has been a very prominent market for the game industry for years. In many cases, Japan has been the birth place of many of the trends that are being seen in the game industry today and the country may be on the frontlines of a major shift away from traditional gaming platforms toward mobile games.

Metaps reports publishers flocking to mobile games

According to Metaps, an Android monetization platform, a large number of Japanese game publishers are beginning to show strong interest in mobile games. These publishers have been taking note of the rising popularity of these games among consumers with smartphones and tablets. Part of the allure of mobile games has to do with the money that can be found in this sector. Consumers have shown their willingness to spend money on mobile games time and again, which itself has been more than enough encouragement for game developers and publishers to show more interest in the world of mobile games.

Japanese Publishers Love Mobile GamesTrend could spread throughout the world

With Japanese publishers showing such extreme interest in mobile games, a number of new titles for mobile platforms are expected to enter the Japanese market in the near future. This trend may quickly spread to the rest of the world, especially as large publishers, such as Electronic Arts, have already expressed strong interest in mobile games of all kinds. If mobile games continue to grow in popularity among consumers, publishers are likely to begin pressuring developers to begin crafting mobile titles at a faster pace.

Mobile not likely to dethrone consoles

While mobile games are becoming significantly more popular, console games remain the staple of the game industry. Mobile games may eventually cut into the console market, but with a new generation of consoles on the horizon, this is not likely to take place within the next several years. Moreover, console makers are not blind to the opportunities that exist in the mobile space and have been working to make their traditionally stationary console systems more mobile friendly.