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A new report says that games spending on both the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store overtook portable gaming last year.
App Annie’s 2013 Retrospective report says that global App Store games spend overtook dedicated games portable software spend at the end of 2012 and Google Play overtook it in Q1 2013.
In Q4 2012 handheld console games spend ranked above both App Store and Global play. By Q2 2013 Google Play had overtaken portables and while portable gaming grew between Q2 and Q3 it was unable to catch Google Play, while App Store had surged far ahead.
The portable console numbers are inclusive of both digital and packaged games sales. Ad revenue is excluded from the figures.
Apps with freemium business models grew from 86 per cent of all game app revenue in 2012 to 93 per cent in 2013, with Puzzle & Dragons being the single most successful freemium title in revenue terms followed by Candy Crush Saga and Clash of Clans.
GungHo won the global revenue race followed by Supercell, King and EA.
Candy Crush was the world’s single most downloaded game app, although EA games were downloaded more than titles by any other publisher followed by Gameloft, Rovio and King.
In the UK Candy Crush Saga was the most downloaded game followed by Temple Run 2, Despicable Me, 4 Pics 1 Word, Subway Surfers and Angry Birds. EA generated the most game app revenue followed by King, Gameloft and Rovio.
In terms of revenue the most lucrative UK game app, Candy Crush Saga topped the list followed by Clash of Clans, The Simpsons Tapped Out and Hay Day. King won the publisher revenue league followed by Supercell, EA, Kabam, GREE and DeNA.
As of October 2013 Japan had surpassed US to become the most actively country in terms of app downloads.
