Study: 5 million iOS game downloads per day
Half of all Apple App Store downloads are gaming related says new report
As many as 63 million users in the US and Western Europe are downloading 5 million iOS games, including 600,000 paid-for apps, per day, claims a new report.
The new study is a partnership between Dutch research firms Distimo and Newzoo, and focused on downloads for the top 300 games available in the free and paid categories.
The study found that the average iOS owner downloaded 2.5 games each month, of which 88 per cent were free - resulting in the figure of 600,000 per day.
The totals are more than all other app categories combined, with half of all free and paid-for downloads being for games. 90 per cent of downloads were for the iPhone/iPod touch, 9 per cent for the iPad and 1 per cent for the Mac.
In-game spending alone now accounts for 40 per cent of all iPhone/iPod touch game revenues (32 per cent on iPad). The report suggests that in-game spending will begin generating the majority of revenues by the second half of 2011.
According to the study downloads were heavily weighted towards the top performers, with games in the top 25 accounting for five to six time more downloads and revenues than the next 25 top sellers.
Other information from the study suggest that between 50 and 75 per cent of iPhone owners in the US, and the six European countries covered (UK, Germany, France, Spain, The Netherlands and Belgium) play games on the device.
On the iPad almost 15 million US users and 7 million European users use the hardware to play games, a total greater than the installed userbase for the PSP.