On Thursday, Juniper Research published new data indicating that there will be 64.1 billion games downloaded onto smartphones and tablet devices by 2017, more than 3 times that of 2012.
The new Juniper report – Mobile & Tablet Games: Discovery, In-App Purchases & Advertising – was designed to explore why this growth in the number of games downloaded would be so “staggering.”
Juniper says this high rate of growth is being driven by the increasing number of “free-to-play releases, more sophisticated devices, and the global uptake of smartphones.”
It found that an increase in the number of sophisticated games, which allow for truly multi-platform gameplay through the use of cloud technology, meant that mobile would become the primary screen for gamers. Greater memory on devices would also mean consumers were able to download more games onto their phones and tablets.
“Tablet games are growing so much because they are such an accessible way for all consumer segments to access games,” observes report author Siân Rowlands. “In particular mid-core gamers, who previously spent a lot of money and time playing games but now have jobs, families or other commitments, are driving this trend. These people are really embracing the tablet form factor, and innovative gameplay devices such as the mobile based OUYA console, really appeal to them.”
The new Juniper whitepaper is available to download now from the Juniper website.