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Smartphone Popularity Boosts Mobile Game Downloads

6:45 am on February 24, 2009 | Category: Cell Phones, Mobile Devices, Software

The number of Americans downloading mobile games increased 17% (year-over-year) in November 2008, with 8.5 million people (representing 3.8% of wireless subscribers) downloading at least one game in that month, according to comScore.

The increasing popularity of smartphones, such as the Apple iPhone and BlackBerry Curve, is a major factor driving mobile game downloads, researchers say. Between November 2007 and November 2008, the number of smartphone users to download games almost quadrupled, while downloads on basic handsets (such as the Motorola RAZR) declined by 14%.

“The rapid growth in smartphone adoption in the United States has provided a boost for mobile gaming, as 34 percent of those downloading a game in November did so using a smartphone,” commented Mark Donovan, a senior analyst at comScore. “Last year, not one smartphone appeared in the top 10 devices used for mobile downloads. This year, six out of 10 are smartphones, excluding devices with smartphone-like functionality, such as the Instinct and Voyager, which also make appearances.”

Not surprisingly, Apple’s popular iPhone device is the preferred smartphone for gamers, accounting for 14% of all game downloads.

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