iOS & Android Beats up Nintendo in the Gaming Market

iOS Androit Portable Game Market Nintendo

iOS & Android Beating up on Nintendo & Sony in Gaming

Flurry Analytics, a mobile analytics company, has come out with a report showing the shift in mobile gaming from traditional console providers such as Sony and Nintendo towards mobile systems such as iOS and Android.

iPhone Android iOS GamesiOS and Andriods leads the charge with a large bank of free and inexpensive games. Sony PSP, Nintendo DS, and any other potential portable gaming platform requires a consumer to spend over a $100 dollars for the gaming device alone then another $30-40 for each game. With the coming of the iPhone, the iTouch, and now multiple Android based smartphones, there is no longer a need to purchase a separate gaming device. Also many games can be had for free or for a mere dollar or two.

Nintendo DS no longer the Big Boy of Portable Gaming

In 2009, Nintendo DS accounted for 70% of all game software revenue. iOS & Android was at 19%. 2011 thus far estimated will see Nintendo drop to 36% while iOS and Android will eat up 58% of the gaming market revenue. This is out of a total portable game revenue pie of $3.3 billion dollars. The days of paying $40 a game seems to be numbered as many games are taking on freemium models where gamers get the game free and has the option to purchase more levels, features, or additional add-ons as they desire.

iOS Android iPhone
Let's Go Beat up Nintendo Together!

Nintendo will be facing it’s first fiscal year loss since it first started reporting profits in 1981. With both Apple and Google looking to enter into the TV space, it won’t be long before these games take over the living room as well.

  • Does any of this surprise you?
  • What is the last cartridge game you bought?
  • How many mobile games do you own?

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3 Comments

  1. I’m blown away by the quality of iOS games, I mean, you get a really good game for .69p (GBP). We do have a couple of DS’s but no one uses them anymore. DS games, and the like, have always been massively over priced. What a great idea selling games for .69p is. I now really thing twice about spending £20+ on a game for my imac. I did this recently and the don’t understand why PC / MAC games sell for that much money!
    Graham

  2. Perhaps Nintendo can keep up by manufacturing a Nintendo smartphone? Pretty much like Sony Ericsson’s PlayStation-certified smartphones (I’m thinking Xperia PLAY).

  3. I agree with Graham. the quality of games on the iOS (and some on Android) – the graphics, gameplay and the sounds on some of the games are AMAZING! plus there’s variety. you have games from the big studios (like Mass Effect, Assassins Creed) and some real nice Indie’s coming out on the iOS as well.

    then there’s the cost. the games i bought on my 3G iPhone are still with me and I’ve changed 3 iPhones since then (3GS, 4, 4S)! I think i paid 99c for Plants v Zombies on the 3G, and got a free retina-display enabled version when I switched over to the 4!

    Graham, I dont think its fair to compare these with PC games since the costs involved in the development of games on PC or consoles are MUCH more than developing on the iOS.

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