As part of an exclusive series, games market research firm Newzoo and app analytics provider Distimo will be providing [a]list daily their monthly data on the top performing mobile game publishers and titles. For November, the firms have ranked the top ten for each category based on total iOS revenues. Their data is drawn from the nine biggest global markets when it comes to spending on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch games. In the coming months, the rankings will expand outside of iOS to include Google PlayStore revenues and use data from more than 40 countries.
For November 2012, Electronic Arts was the best performing publisher, scoring with eleven games in the top 200 grossing list, although with twelve fewer titles than last month. Their best performing game remains The Simpsons: Tapped Out, with Need For Speed Most Wanted now starting to contribute significantly.
Supercell remained the second top publisher in the month compared to October, with two games in the top four as their title Hay Day moved up. This inches them closer to EA as the number one iOS game publisher. Zynga slipped to number six, while Kabam moved into the top five. Powered by the force of Angry Birds Star Wars, Rovio blasted into the top ten with both iPhone/iPod Touch (SD) and iPad (HD) versions of the game.
Looking at top games for last month, Clash of Clans was the best performer in terms of revenues for the third month in a row. The highest new entries were Angry Birds Star Wars HD followed by the SD version, showing that the iPad version is pulling in higher revenues. If revenues of both versions are combined, Rovio’s newest hit franchise would be the number two top seller for November. Non-localized Japanese games continue to rise in the iOS charts as well, with Japanese iOS spending closing in on the U.S.
Providing insight on the data, Newzoo CEO Peter Warman said, “Witnessing the monthly dynamics in the mobile game space, I am specifically excited to see the extraordinary growth in Japan and China, confirming the fact that Asia is contributing most to Apple’s revenue growth. I also find it fascinating to see the free-to-play mid-core games, like Kingdoms of Camelot and Clash of Clans, continuing to rake in the money month after month, even when downloads drop significantly. Simply signs of a good game and a well-balanced business model.”
Warman added, “I cant wait to see the data for December as the Christmas season normally gives a 30-50 percent boost to mobile game spending.”
Newzoo has this month’s full top 20 publishers as well as top 20 mobile games on their site. {links no longer active}
Look for the top monthly players in mobile column to continue in mid-January.
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