The International Data Corporation believes that the number of paying customers on smartphone and tablet platforms will surpass those of portable gaming consoles in 2013; dedicated handheld gaming devices will still lead in average revenue per user. The company also expects 3DS and PS Vita bundles to continue to fall at an average rate of 7 percent year-over-year through 2017.
“Android remains quite fragmented but the platform is on its way to becoming a massively popular gaming platform in Asia/Pacific in particular,” said IDC research manager Lewis Ward. “In order for Nintendo’s and Sony’s gaming-optimized handhelds to remain ahead of smartphones and tablets on key metrics such as ARPU, these companies and their game card developer and publisher partners will have to redouble their efforts in a number of respects.”
“Digital distribution has reached an inflection point in mobile and portable gaming, and future success will largely boil down to finding a unique balance of freemium business model excellence and that ability to deliver compelling social experiences,” Ward added.
