As several mobile games publishers announce their intentions to launch direct-to-consumer sales of mobile games, M:Metrics says that it has found that the vast majority of mobile game consumers rely on their carriers to inform their mobile game purchases, a trend that has remained steady over the past six months.
"This data shows that companies who are marketing their games outside of the on-device channel face a formidable challenge," observed Seamus McAteer, senior analyst M:Metrics. "Visibility on the device deck is essential. In addition to looking to premium SMS as a means to merchandise game content on the Web, in print or on TV, mobile games publishers should focus on alternative mechanisms that deliver exposure on the deck, via a link to an independent portal that's integrated with the carrier's billing infrastructure, or through their own branded retail outlet."
The measurement firm found that JAMDAT received the heaviest promotion on carrier merchandising menus of the top tier national carriers, owning 14% of all game titles that received premium deck placement across the top-tier, branded carriers in the United States in the month of October. Among JAMDAT's prominent titles are: JAMDAT Mahjong, with 51 appearances, and Bejeweled, with 70 appearances.
The measurement firm found that JAMDAT received the heaviest promotion on carrier merchandising menus of the top tier national carriers, owning 14% of all game titles that received premium deck placement across the top-tier, branded carriers in the United States in the month of October. Among JAMDAT's prominent titles are: JAMDAT Mahjong, with 51 appearances, and Bejeweled, with 70 appearances.
M:Metrics' latest monthly Benchmark Survey reveals that those who downloaded a mobile game bought at average of 1.8 games in the month, with the arcade puzzle genre (such as JAMDAT's Bejeweled or Glu Mobile's Zuma) maintaining its popularity as the leading type of game purchased. Card, casino, strategy and sports games follow, in descending popularity.
Although males continue to out-download females, accounting for 58% of those who downloaded a game in October, the gender gap has closed in the last six months. In January, the split was 66% male, 34% female.
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Source: M:Metrics, Inc., Copyright (C) 2005. Survey of U.S. mobile subscribers. Data based on the month ending October 31, 2005, n= 11,846U.S. mobile subscribers."
Posted to the site on 30th November 2005
Posted to: www.cellular-news.com/story/15024.php