LONDON-The mobile-gaming download market will grow into a billion-dollar global industry by the end of the year, according to a study released Thursday from Screen Digest, a London-based consultancy.
The report indicates that mobile-phone gaming will increase more than six-fold by the end of the decade, producing annual revenues of $6.4 billion, with Japan and North Korea accounting for nearly 80 percent of those profits. However, the report warns, operators in Europe and North America will need to re-think current gaming pricing structures to fully tap the growing market.
“We think that mobile operators in Europe have not yet got the strategies right to exploit this market to its full potential,” stated Screen Digest chief analyst Ben Keen. “Operators should consider flat-rate data pricing and subscription models to drive take-up of these services, and we believe that there are some major European players who are prepared to do so.
