Record iPhone Game Downloads, Usage Predicted in Post Holiday Week
Mobclix/PlayHaven Forecast Says Usage Expected to Soar Almost 30x
During Week Between Christmas and New Year's Day Compared to Same
Period Last Year
SAN MATEO, Calif/PRNewswire/ -- PlayHaven, an online
universe of fan communities for iPhone games, and Mobclix, the
industry's largest targeted mobile ad exchange, released data today
predicting that iPhone game usage is likely to set records in the week
between Christmas and New Year's Day, soaring to levels 28 times
greater than the same weekly period last year.
"The week between Christmas and New Years has become the great 'Game
Rush' for iPhone games - essentially what Black Friday is to brick and
mortar retailers," said Raymond Lau, co-founder and CEO of PlayHaven.
"This soaring increase in iPhone game downloads is even more
spectacular when you consider the slow holiday sales this year for
console game titles."
From January through November, sales of console titles were down 12
percent from the same time frame last year, according to retail
analysts.
Lau said consumers are looking to their iPhones increasingly for
entertainment. With more than 15,000 game titles available to-date in
the App Store, the popularity of Apple's mobile device continues to
soar even in the face of renewed competition from Android.
PlayHaven also predicted that in the coming year, discovery of games
and applications is increasingly going to originate outside the App
Store. By the end of 2010, Lau said up to 25 percent of iPhone app
purchases may originate at some location other than iTunes or the App
Store as companies like PlayHaven seek to capitalize on the increasing
complexity of app discovery in a universe of more than 125,000 titles.
"Consumers are looking to personal devices as a key source of
entertainment and the game app market is seeing a surge," said Sunil
Verma, co-founder of Mobclix. "With the data from last year and
information on this year's trends, it's clear that a lot of time and
money will be spent on iPhone games this week. Developers are in a good
position to monetize their games through smart marketing and ad
decisions."
The Mobclix PlayHaven "Game Rush" forecast is based on analysis from
across the Mobclix mobile ad exchange. Mobclix used historical app
download data and calculated a projection based on the increased number
of Apple mobile devices sold during the year.
About PlayHaven
PlayHaven provides an online universe of fan communities around
games, giving developers the instant power of community for turning
their games into lasting businesses and gamers a new place to gather
and engage with each other. Founded in 2008, by Raymond Lau, Erik Yao,
and Kurtiss Hare, PlayHaven is headquartered in San Mateo, California.
For more information, please visit www.playhaven.com.
About Mobclix
Mobclix (www.mobclix.com) is the industry's largest targeted mobile
ad exchange -- the first open marketplace for mobile developers,
advertisers, ad networks and agencies. The Mobclix ad exchange provides
complete transparency and visibility for developers to manage their ad
inventory and maximize revenue and for advertisers to increase campaign
performance. Mobclix is a privately held company headquartered in Palo
Alto, Calif. The company was founded in September 2008 and has since
been named an AlwaysOn 250 winner and won the ad:tech Limelight award.
Source: PlayHaven
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