Mobile gaming is 'still in its infancy', says Codies exec

Paul Topping, business development manager for Codemasters Mobile, has declared that a new delivery model is required if the mobile games industry is to mature.

Speaking in the latest edition of the Games Central podcast, Topping said the industry is "still in its infancy", adding, "I think it's been quite a confusing thing for the consumer - it's quite hard to get hard of a mobile game, downloading is quite hit and miss.

"Only 25 per cent of people that own a phone have downloaded a game because they don't know what to buy, and of those that do, only 25 per cent of people buy another one... What they actually end up with is not what they expected or not what they wanted."

According to Topping, the processing power of handsets isn't an issue - "these things are all more powerful than the Game Boy" - but there are problems with control systems and a "horribly fragmented" market.

"It really requires a better way of delivering the games to devices, and more thought from the hardware manufacturers in terms of how the phones actually play the games," he said.

Topping also believes that mobile publishers must focus on producing good titles if the market is to take off: "The quality isn't there. The actual games and the way of discovering the games is not there at the moment."

The Games Central podcasts are hosted by Tim Wapshott, and the latest edition features guests Sony UK boss Ray Maguire and journalist Steve Boxer as well as Paul Topping. To download, search for "Games Central" in the iTunes Music Store.