On February the 23th, the International Data Corporation and App Annie released a special joint report, Gaming Spotlight 2016 Review. The cooperative effort closely analyzed the mobile video game market during the 2016 fiscal year. According to App Annie’s SVP of Research, Danielle Levitas, mobile games had the best year yet during 2016. The report concluded that games represented only 35% of the total downloads across Google Play and iOS App Store. Nonetheless, those games generated more than 80% of the revenue brought in by both app platforms.
Just like previous years, consumers spent more on iOS games than Google Play games. The report also suggests Japan and China played a pivotal role in 2016. China’s NetEase had the most success with their title Fantasy Westward Journey, which was the top grossing iOS game during the year. Japan stole the spot on the Google Play platform with Mixi’s Monster Strike title. The Gaming Spotlight 2016 Review also examined the top five grossing titles on iOS, Google Play and handled consoles.
The most successful handheld console titles of 2016 were Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon. Both games are available on the Nintendo 3DS platform and both were published by The Pokémon Company. While Pokémon GO arguably received the most publicity during the year, it ranked number 3 and generated around 950 million dollars in direct spending in 2016. The report also closely examines the mobile AR market with an emphasis on titles such as Minecraft Gear VR and Gunjack. To learn more about the report or to get your own copy, head over to the company’s press release here.
