Canalys estimates that 25 developers pocketed 50 percent of U.S. app revenue during the first 20 days of November 2012. Those top developers saw $60 million in paid downloads and in-app purchases; only Pandora Radio was not a game developer on that list.

“Part of the story here is that successful game developers almost invariably have multiple titles generating revenue,” said Canalys vice president and principal analyst Chris Jones. “Zynga, for example, had 15 titles in the list of top 300 grossing iPhone apps on average in Apple’s App Store every day, and nine titles in the equivalent list in the Google Play store. Even with its singular focus on its Angry Birds franchise, Rovio has multiple game variants in the list. With the holiday season now underway, we expect to see many of these top game developers employing discounts and special offers, taking advantage of their ability to cross-promote within their app portfolios.”

Nearly half of the top paid apps on Google Play and the App Store were games, while roughly a third of the top free apps on Google Play and the App Store were game apps. “Discoverability is a particular issue in the Apple App Store and in Google Play given the huge inventories they boast,” said Canalys senior analyst Tim Shepherd. “With top game developers’ content so prevalent in the stores, it can be hard for other good quality apps to get the attention they deserve. Developers of other kinds of apps need to consider how to promote them. Depending on the type of app, they should consider how best they can exploit social media and social recommendations, tactical sales promotions and discounts, branding tie-ups and targeted in-app advertising.”

Source: Canalys