Mobile Gaming Audience On the Rise

New research shows that the audience for portable gamers will grow from 23 million in 2003 to 43 million in 2009, with revenue growing from $1.6 billion in 2003 to $2.7 billion in 2009 as mobile technology proliferates.

Based on a JupiterResearch forecast, the new research report "Portable Games Devices - Forecasting Growth in Anticipation of Intensifying Competition", defines the addressable audience of portable gamers as: users of dedicated game devices such as Nintendo's GameBoy, users of Hybrid game devices such as Nokia's N-Gage or Tapwave's Zodiac, and gamers that play more than five hours per week on their PDAs.

In addition, a fourth device class, composed of gamers that play more than five hours per week on their cellular phones is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 16% through 2009, fueled by the proliferation of cellular phones better equipped to support games. The report elaborates on the factors that will determine success in the portable games marketplace.

"Competition is the major driver of growth over the next five years. As device manufacturers and content developers cater to broader audiences, we will see some amazing things happen," said Michael Gartenberg, Vice President and Research Director, JupiterResearch. "There's a gap in ownership between console and handheld devices allowing for an untapped market as well as substantial opportunities in age brackets from the upper teens to 34 years of age, both male and female," continued Gartenberg.