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[PR] I-play and M:Metrics Reveal Casual Genres Dominate 3G Mobile Gaming
Written by Modojo Staff on Monday, February 12, 2007
San Mateo, CA. and London, UK - February 9, 2007: The impact of 3G on mobile gaming usage has been immensely positive with 3G subscribers having twice the propensity to play mobile games compared with non-3G subscribers. I-play the mobile entertainment company, and M:Metrics, the mobile market authority, can also reveal casual genres dominate the types of games played by 3G subscribers, compared to genres dominated by console gaming.
M:Metrics' data shows that genres such as Arcade puzzle, Retro Arcade, card and casino are the most popular games amongst 3G subscribers in Europe and the US. Action/adventure, First person shooter and Sports genres are amongst the less played genres. Please refer to the following table for reference: http://www.iplay.com/news/casual-games-dominate.html.
These findings are contrary to expectation. Many of the big mobile games publishers have been betting on 3G signalling the dawn of high-definition, console-esque titles to mobile.
I-play, a company with expertise in bringing casual games to the mass-market, is naturally pleased with the findings from M:Metrics' data, which confirms its own primary research and assessment of the global mobile market. David Gosen, CEO of I-play commented: "The arrival of 3G is hugely positive for the industry, but it doesn't mean that we need to develop hard core games. Yes, 3G means that download times will be a quarter of what they were, but the market is still looking for casual games with great graphics, that are simple but challenging, intuitive to play and easily accessible. The constraints of the mobile device are its advantage if you understand the content category and the consumption behavior. We have always seen the mobile phone as the entertainment device of the mass market consumer - hence I-play's focus on casual games."
Paul Goode, Senior Analyst at M:Metrics commented: "Casual genres dominate amongst both 3G and 2G subscribers, and that's interesting because critics of mobile gaming have often cited the quality of graphics and the processing power of the mobile device to be limiting the type of game play. Whilst 3G handsets and networks support more powerful gameplay, our data shows it's still the more simple, casual types of games that are most popular on the mobile device."
About M:Metrics
M:Metrics is the mobile market measurement authority. As the only research firm to measure the audience for mobile media, M:Metrics provides the most accurate metrics on actual mobile content consumption by applying trusted media measurement methodologies to the mobile market. M:Metrics' monthly syndicated data service gives clients the critical insights and intelligence required to inform smart business strategies and the competitive benchmarks needed to evaluate the performance of competitors and partners. M:Metrics is a private, venture-funded corporation headquartered in Seattle, with offices in San Francisco and London.
About I-play
I-play brings the best in mobile entertainment to an audience of over one billion people via a network of over 120 carriers worldwide, including Sprint (NYSE:S), Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ), Cingular, Vodafone (LSE: VOD.L) and Telefonica Moviles (NYSE: TEM), amongst others and online portals including http://www.iplay.com/. I-play has been creating mobile games since 1998 and continues to spearhead the creation of mobile entertainment for the next generation. As one of the world's longest established and respected creators of mobile entertainment, the I-play brand stands for quality and the best in mobile development. A move into mobile video content via a license agreement with Universal Mobile Entertainment sees I-play offering the best clips from Universal Studios' most popular blockbuster movies.
I-play's investors are Apax Partners and Argo Global Capital. I-play is headquartered in London, with North American Regional HQ in San Mateo, California and European Regional HQ in Dunfermline, Scotland; development studios in Macclesfield, UK and Bucharest, Romania as well as sales offices in Paris, Hamburg, Madrid, New York and Singapore.
