iOS to dominate mobile gaming through 2018 - Report
DFC Intelligence expects iTunes to more than triple Google Play game revenues even as Android outnumbers iPhones 3:1
Apple's iOS may be losing market share to devices running Google's Android, but the iPhone maker should continue bringing in more money from games on its platforms for years to come. That's according to a new report from DFC Intelligence covering the global games and apps market for smartphones and tablets.
By 2018, DFC expects annual revenues from iOS games to hit $9.7 billion, compared to $2.7 billion for games from the Google Play store. For reference, the report lists the current record for single-year mobile game revenue on a platform as $6.6 billion, a mark reached by the Nintendo DS in 2008.
Even as Apple continues to lead the way in mobile game sales, DFC anticipates the company's iPhone and iPad lines to be outsold by a proliferation of Android devices. The report predicts a worldwide total of 829 million active Android phones in 2018, compared to 265 million active iPhones. A similar disparity is projected to surface in the tablet market. As for how Apple can grow revenues while losing market share, DFC cited the user-friendliness of the iOS ecosystem, and the way it allows purchases to be accessed through multiple devices.