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Video Games on Mobile Phones - Challenges & outlook

iDate
Market Study  February 2008

Single-user PDF - EUR 2000.00  

Since early this decade, when video games first appeared on mobile handsets, we have successively witnessed a rise in the number of developers, the creation of mobile game subsidiaries by traditional video game publishers and intensified investment by telecoms operators in a wide variety of business activities (publishing, aggregation, distribution, platforms, licensing, etc.). 2001 saw the arrival of downloadable games and November 2003 marked a radical change with commercialisation of the n-Gage, a connected console with game cartridges.

Since then, three developments have prompted the mobile gaming sector to move up a gear:
• The value chain has organised itself into a predominantly narrow structure, with smaller enterprises making way for companies with the financial capacity to shoulder development in this sector.
• Consumers have learned to extend their use of handsets beyond simple telephony. Technological advances have furnished mobile phones with new functionalities previously only available on dedicated devices.
• Mobile operators have managed to preserve the integrity of their business models in spite of a lack of transparency in their offers. For the time being, operators are still the sole point of contact for gamers, via their billing services, but opportunities for mobile Internet business models are now very real.

Growth of this sector is conditioned by tight technical constraints concerning latency, speed and handset capacity in terms of storage, computation and display.

IDATE presents an analysis of the mobile gaming market’s organisation: state of existing offers, player positioning and changes in the value chain (publishers, developers, distributors and mobile operators), editorial strategies, and business and pricing models. The report explores the expected technological and economic challenges, along with the market’s development prospects up to 2010.

Video Games on Mobile Phones in brief   • Characteristics of existing offers • Technological challenges and relevant business models : advertising, flat rate, volume • Virtual distribution • Editorial strategies and types of content on offer • Main player positioning and changes in the value chain • Market outlook to 2010 • 3D/3G • Casual Games • Connected games • Gaming services • Multiplayers  Key questions   • What are the key factors for development of the mobile gaming sector? • What are the predominant editorial strategies and types of content available? • Does the technological advancement of mobile networks foresee a mass market? • What are the challenges for publishers, developers and distributors of mobile video games? • Telecoms operators versus distribution portals or aggregators: what services for gamers? • What are the decisive factors in a mobile gamer’s ecosystem? What profiles are identified?  Who should read this report?   Developers, publishers and distributors of video games • Assess the mobile gaming market’s potential • Understand the value chain’s organisation and relevant business models Mobile operators • Analyse competing offers • Assess commercial development prospects Equipment manufacturers (consumer handsets) • Understand changes in the mobile gaming market • Estimate the market’s long-term potential Investors/analysts • Examine the competitive landscape and regional differences • Anticipate new trends in the video gaming ecosystem

For full details, please email jeremyk@cmsinfo.com

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