November 17, 2009 09:52 AM Eastern Time

Research and Markets: Latest Report Forecasts that Apple Will Help Drive Mobile Game Market Sales to $11.7 Billion by 2014

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets(http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/278125/gamers_and_the_usa) has announced the addition of the "Gamers and the Usage of Mobile Phones" report to their offering.

This exclusive survey analyzed the habits of over 8,000 PC gamers located primarily in North America, Europe and Australia

Survey Date: Conducted in August 2009

Deliverables include:

a 30-page Executive Summary
Excel spreadsheets with answers broken down by number of respondents and percentages
Spreadsheets include tables for:

• Primary mobile phone device owned by country, region and age
• Mobile phone ownership by brand by region and age
• Mobile phone service provider by region
• Playing games on mobile phone by region, age, gender, marital status, education level, residence
• Paid game downloads on mobile phones by country, region, age, gender, marital status, education level, residence
• Amount spent on mobile phone game purchases by country and region
• Application purchases for mobile phones by country, region, age, gender, marital status, education level, residence
• Amount spent on mobile phone application purchases by country and region
• Type of applications purchased and used for mobile phones by regions and for texting, internet browsing, email, calendar, social networking, music and games
• Services used to buy applications and games for mobile phones by region
• iPod Touch ownership by country, age, education, residence
• Combined iPhone/iPod Touch ownership by country and region
• Nintendo DS ownership by country and region
• Sony PSP ownership by country and region

According to a series of new reports the worldwide market for portable and mobile games is expected to grow to $11.7 billion by 2014. The primary driver of this growth is expected to be the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch systems. By 2014, sales for games on the iPhone/iPod Touch are expected to account for about 24% of total portable game software sales.

"The dedicated portable game systems from companies like Nintendo and Sony are still expected to lead the market, but it appears growth for these devices has peaked. The platforms from Apple are expected to be responsible for the bulk of market growth over the next few years," says DFC analyst David Cole.

The author also released some results from a study on the mobile game habits of over 8,000 game players in North America and Europe. 54% of respondents in North America and 69% of respondents in Europe had played a game on their mobile phone in the past year. Furthermore, 45% of respondents in North America and 36% in Europe had paid to purchase an application for their mobile phone. Among respondents, the App Store was already the most popular service for making purchases. Across both North America and Europe about 15% of respondents already owned an iPhone or iPod Touch, compared with 29% that owned a Nintendo DS.

The entry of Apple into the mobile entertainment space is so important that the author partnered with leading iPhone application provider Oceanhouse Media (developers of over 60 iPhone apps) to prepare a detailed report on the market. According to Greg Uhler, Oceanhouse Media Development Director, " with the iPhone and iPod Touch, Apple has finally delivered mobile developers a platform with an attractive business model and a rapidly growing installed base of active consumers." Of course, the iPhone is about more than just games. "Games are expected to account for only about 23% of application sales on the iPhone," says Michel Kripalani, President of Oceanhouse Media. "There are many fantastic opportunities for non-game related content on both the iPhone and iPod Touch. These devices, when combined with Apple's business model, are a much needed revolution for the mobile market."

The new series of reports include The Market for iPhone and iPod Games and Applications, The Market for Portable Video Games and Gamers and the Usage of Mobile Phones.

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/278125/gamers_and_the_usa