Game downloads on mobile devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S4 and iPad are on track to becoming the primary means of playing games, according to a new report.
Analyst Juniper Research says that by 2017, our smartphones and tablets will statistically be the largest platform for video games. That’s right, larger than headline makers Xbox 720 and PS4.
The report projects that there will be 64.1 billion game downloads in 2017, more than triple that of 2012 (21 billion).
In the same year, only seven percent of the games downloaded will be paid for. The report suggests that in 2017 the way game developers will make money is advertising. Many games will be available for download within a particular app.
Juniper says that the move to mobile devices will be due to, “sophisticated games, which allow for truly multi-platform gameplay through the use of cloud technology.”
Smartphones and tablets are constantly gaining more memory space, allowing users to download more games.
But Juniper does not expect mobile devices to the run likes of Microsoft, Sony, or Nintendo out of town. Nintendo is expected to take an especially big hit losing 14 percent of sales on the 3DS and 27 percent of sales on the Wii U.
Still though, smartphones and tablets are not anywhere near the hard core gamer. Social & Casual is the most popular download genre, and is expected to remain so through 2017. Half of the games downloaded onto mobile devices fall into this genre.
”Tablet games are growing so much because they are such an accessible way for all consumer segments to access games. In particular mid-core gamers, who previously spent a lot of money and time playing games but now have jobs, families or other commitments, are driving this trend,” author of the report Sian Rowlands said.
Juniper suggests that what will keep smartphone and tablet games on top is their always-on connectivity, which Microsoft ran into some trouble with recently with the Xbox 720, and portability.
