Mobile gaming publishers in the U.S. grossed close to $540 million in revenue in 2009–up from $382 million in 2006, a compound annual growth rate of 12 percent–according to a new report published by financial intelligence firm SNL Kagan. Among the 21 largest mobile game publishers in the U.S., SNL Kagan notes that EA Mobile topped all rivals in 2009, raking in revenues exceeding $115 million to surpass Gameloft, Glu Mobile and Namco Bandai. The report adds that although profitability varies significantly by publisher, the overall margin for the industry is on the rise, with EBITDA growing from negative 19 percent in the third quarter of 2005 to an estimated 17 percent in the fourth quarter of 2009. SNL Kagan adds that publishers with libraries of classic game hits or games based on their own intellectual property experience the most dramatic financial success.
Both Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android are cited for their impact on the mobile gaming marketplace.”The mobile game landscape has changed dramatically in the past two years with app stores and smartphones representing a new and fast-growing frontier,” SNL Kagan analyst John Fletcher said in a prepared statement. “We expect to see strong sales from publishers who have evolved with the changing business model, while those focusing on carrier deals will likely have more subdued growth.” more
