Telstra has revealed the addition of almost one million new mobile services in the six months to December 2011, but Sensis revenues plummeted 24 percent in 12 months.
Digital Distribution of software is obviously here to stay; but only in recent times has the world of mobile gaming got a DD shot in the arm with services such as the iTunes Apps Store and the Nokia N-gage game software system. With the iPhone and other powerful handsets hitting the market, any wonder then that game developers are seeing the seventh platform as a lucrative venture?
Late last year RadioactiveIT reported on possible future trends in video gaming. The balancing act of developers maintaining revenue streams against costs. The conclusion then was one of a trend towards simpler more casual and cheaper produced gaming titles.
Over at AusGamers.com there is a recent interview with Firemint CEO Robert Murray. Firemint have been in the game of creating games, predominantly for hand-held devices for a decade now. Carving out a niche that is according to Murray and just beginning to burgeon.
“Firemint sees handheld and mobile devices as the leading growth platform. Handheld platforms and digital distribution are all about convenience, what you want, when you want it, wherever you are”, said Murray.
But he is quick to point out that companies like Firemint need to be ready to move with trends; “... handheld and mobile platforms are not all we are interested in. More broadly it is digital distribution that excites us. Buying your content digitally is cheaper, more convenient and environmentally friendly. It is simply a matter of time and broadband penetration before digital distribution exceeds retail in revenue.”
This is where the iTunes App Store and Nokia N-gage digital distribution channels help companies such as Firemint. By avoiding the bricks and mortar retail chains and inherent extra overheads, targeting a more casual, 5 minute attention span audience and making purchasing quick and painless. Companies such as Firemint and the more omnipresent PopCap have flourished in this environment.
Murray continues this thought: “Services like App Store and N-Gage are a breath of fresh air for us. They have their problems for sure, but the possibility of distributing globally through just one channel on a consistent platform eliminates an incredible amount of expense and lowers barriers to entry for content providers.”
“ I think it is good for the consumer, and it is good for the industry. The more spent on the game and the less spent on porting, deployment and distribution costs, the healthier the industry will be. In business terms these services are revolutionary, and they may finally allow mobile games to live up to the promise that we all saw back in 2002.”
David Bass
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