In other interesting business news, a new report by the IDC has Google Play moving into second place when it comes to mobile gamers and where they spend their money. This move into second place means that mobile gamers now spend more on Google Play then they do on traditional handheld gaming consoles like the PS Vita and the 3DS.
Thinking about this logically it makes sense. There are far more owners of Android-based devices (smartphones and tablets) than there is of devices like the Nintento 3DS and PS Vita. So naturally there should be more spending on Google Play. However, it has taken all this time for that to happen as this is the first time Google Play has surpassed handheld consoles on spending.
It also helps that three out of four Android owners play some sort of games on their devices. There is also multiple ways for developers to earn revenue which also helps be it free-to-play with IAPs, episodic releases, ad-supported free games or full premium games. With th advent of Google Play Games Services, this will more than likely continue to increase as games become more in-depth and developers have easier way to implement things like achievements and multiplayer.
Another interesting tidbit of information is that apparently 40% of Nintendo 3DS and PS Vita owners also play games on Android or iOS devices. Of course these are all statistics and lord knows there are a ton of variables that come into play with this sort of thing.
In the end though it does show one thing, mobile gaming is a big industry and the Android portion of that proverbial gaming pie is growing which is always good news for both Android game developers and us Android gamers.
Website Referenced: Talk Android
