LONDON—Operators must make it easier for users to discover and download games if the mobile gaming market is going to move from niche-market to mass-market status, according to a new report from Informa Telecoms & Media.
The market research firm said wireless games will generate $2.4 billion in revenue this year as publishers churn out eye-catching 3-D and community-enabled games. But the industry could explode into a $7.2 billion market by 2011 if players make it simpler for new gamers to find and purchase titles.
“The quality of mobile games has improved significantly over the past year, but it will be tough to convince consumers of that until the content discovery and provisioning process is simplified,” said Chris Coffman, senior analyst at Informa. “The 5 percent of mobile subscribers who download mobile games today won’t be the engine driving the next five years of growth in the industry.”
The Asia-Pacific region will continue to dominate the mobile games market, accounting for nearly half of worldwide mobile games revenues in 2011, the report predicted. North America may overtake Japan as the largest single-country market for mobile games by 2010, however.
