Mobile gaming will overtake consoles, says Gosen

I-play CEO David Gosen has predicted that the console gaming industry will be left with a "niche audience" to target as mobile gaming becomes ever more popular.

Speaking at the Casual Connect conference in Amsterday yesterday, Gosen quoted figures from Informa and Montgomery which state that mobile has five times the installed base of consoles.

He went on to observe that the number of mobile subscribers is forecast to reach 2.8 billion in 2008, and said mobile games sales are expected to double those of console titles within two years.

According to Gosen, the mobile industry must focus on "balancing the demands of the present with the promise of the future".

He went on to observe, "Its reach and multi-functionality positions mobile as the number one mass market entertainment device of the future, rendering console as a platform for a niche audience."

Gosen also said that casual games will drive growth in the mobile and online sectors as convergence of content becomes increasingly important.