Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Hardware, Software, Odds and ends, iPhone, App Store
iPhone owners make up 14% of mobile game downloaders
Hot off the heels of the news that the iPhone is dominating independent mobile gaming comes this interesting statistic: 14% of all people downloading mobile games are doing so on an iPhone. Market research group comScore says that not only is the iPhone picking up double digits of all game downloads overall, but that 32.4% of all iPhone users have downloaded a game. We're not sure if this means purchased a game over the air or bought it in iTunes' App Store and then transferred it onto the phone, but that's a lot of downloading.And the numbers are increasing -- 8.5 million Americans downloaded mobile games onto their devices in November of last year, up 17 percent from the year before. And smartphones in general are growing -- last year, there were zero smartphones sitting in the top 10 mobile devices for downloading, says a comScore analyst, and this year, six of the ten on the list are smartphones. Sounds like an emerging market to us, and the iPhone is sitting right on top.


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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Matthew Heidenreich said 8:35PM on 2-04-2009
honestly, i thought it would be higher than that
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Steve said 12:40PM on 2-05-2009
Yes it would. Specially when NFS hits AppStore. Here's a sneak peak at Need for Speed undercover coming this March in AppStore: http://theifoneblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/nfs-hitting-appstore-this-march.html
Hawkman said 9:03PM on 2-04-2009
"Mobile games"?
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Swimatm said 10:05PM on 2-04-2009
Only 14%?
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Chedstone said 10:58PM on 2-04-2009
This is GREAT NEWS for iPhone game developers! Rock on!
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411macjunkie said 12:52AM on 2-05-2009
14% is very impressive considering the many make and models of mobile phones.
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Jackie said 1:52AM on 2-05-2009
Really only 14%? I would think it would be much higher. My favorite app right now is fetch mms. it rocks. there's like over 15,000 app's now right! I love the iphone :)
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Victor said 2:53AM on 2-05-2009
So do you think this means we're ever going to get an iphone game with a plot and dialog? Or am I asking too much....
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Josh said 6:45AM on 2-05-2009
Considering Apple's had a mobile phone on the market for 18 months and currently sells only one model, 14% is hugely impressive.
Plus to add to Apple's merit, you have to take into account that they keep 30% of all income generated from the app store. Most games sold for mobile phones are delivered thru the mobile operator's infrastructure (so Nokia for example doesn't get any money from the many games sold for Nxx phones).
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iphonedev said 8:09AM on 2-05-2009
This is not surprising as corroborated by one of the top-selling business app What Makes or Breaks App Sale on iTunes ?.
The chart over there reveals how the Apple's promotion affects the sales volume of an app.
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iphonedev said 8:11AM on 2-05-2009
The URL was http://www.iphonedev.in
Mystic said 11:13AM on 2-05-2009
That's it? I thought it would be a lot higher. I downloaded maybe one game before I got the iphone. Now I have at least 8 paid games on the iPhone.
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Robbie said 8:59PM on 2-05-2009
OMG that fetch mms app is awesome!!!! It lets me send photos from my iphone to my sister and parents on their cell phone. check it out guys!!! waaaay better than a game
Martin C said 4:47PM on 2-08-2009
Makes me wish i knew how to programme the bloody games, i've heard too many stories of people quitting their jobs to do it!
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Vikram said 9:47AM on 2-08-2009
Only 14%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Really - I don't like being fooled (But I guess I'm not)!
http://iphone-game-reviews.com
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