Mobile gamers who play titles on Apple's iOS devices spend five times more than their counterparts on Google's Android platform, according to a new study published by market research firm Newzoo.
Among the 101 million U.S. consumers who engage with mobile games, 36 percent pay to play, Newzoo reports. In March 2012, iOS devices combined to generate 84 percent of all revenues derived from the 200 top-grossing games in Apple's App Store and the Google Play storefront. In-app transactions yield 91 percent of revenues across both platforms.
"When analyzing Apple's successful monetization, there is one dominant factor outside of differences in audience demographics and preferences: Apple requires users to connect their credit card information directly to their account, thus creating a seamless purchase experience," said Newzoo CEO Peter Warman. "I can hardly imagine any other company in the world that would be able to get away with this, including Google and Microsoft. Facebook can come a long way, but Amazon clearly has the best chance and is proving this as we speak."
Sixty-eight percent of American mobile gamers play on smartphones, with 21 percent on tablets. Nineteen million American gamers play on an iPhone, representing 28 percent of the total U.S. mobile gaming market; an additional 18 million play games on an iPod Touch, while 12.7 million Americans play on an iPad tablet.
