Windows Phone gamers monetizing at "significantly higher rate"
EEDAR says the audience on Windows OS devices spends much more than gamers on iOS or Android
Windows Phone may not have the market share of Apple or Google, but it does appear to be winning in one key area for game developers: monetization. According to data from EEDAR's 2012 Mobile Syndicated Reports, sent to GamesIndustry International, Windows smartphone users "consistently outspend their peers" with almost 10 percent of Windows gamers classified as "Whales" (those who spend more than $25 a month) compared to just four percent on both iOS and Android.
EEDAR also noted that of the over 4.5 million smartphone gamers who use a Windows OS device, 28 percent are "Dolphins" - people who spend between $5 and $25 per month. The percentage of Dolphins drops to 19 percent among iOS users and 15 percent among Android users. Overall, Windows has the smallest percentage of non-payers at only 21 percent.
If Microsoft can keep these percentages while growing its total installed base for Windows devices, then developers will certainly have to think about supporting the platform. For now, though, audience size certainly still matters.
As EEDAR points out, "In the United States there are roughly 27 million active mobile gamers on iOS and 34.5 million on Android. Even with increased Windows penetration due to the recent releases of Windows 8 and Surface, there's a stark difference in audience size. There is a world of considerations when choosing a platform including porting costs, but if Windows 8 and Surface can gain significant penetration, it could become a profit driver for mobile and tablet developers."
"Ultimately it depends on the target audience. Does your game rely on a larger, casual fan base? Or would it monetize better in an environment with fewer competitors and consumers who are more willing to spend?"
Windows 8 is probably the nicest smartphone OS to use. Microsoft have a big hill to climb to catch Apple and Google, but it can be done, as we have seen very many times with consumer tech.
Now if only Nokia had any actual business sense! I want an unlocked Lumia 920 and I can't get one in the UK for love nor money. I'm not alone and I'm not in the minority. Nokia could have made a ridiculous killing with sales of this phone but, chose instead to make it exclusive to the two networks that no-one in their right mind wants a contract with (I mean both UK and StateSide hence two).
Nokia now say they will review the exclusivity at the end of the quarter. If they renew it I wish them luck because, no matter how great the phone, no general availability will kill it!
There is no data on in app purchases. You can look at the charts for top earning but that doesn't give you real numbers. And if you know one number it doesn't give you the others, just that they are more or less.
Presumably EEDAR are privy to a lot of client data. But is that enough?
The appropriate metric to compare would be how much people spent on each platform when the platform was BRAND NEW. I spent a ton of money on iOS with the first iPhone because it was so new and I just wanted to fill it up with stuff. Over time, my enthusiasm mellowed and I became a lot more selective as I found the best apps to fill whatever task/need I had. But I went through a lot of them to get there.
Windows Phone users are just thrilled to finally have a product that doesn't suck, and they're buying a lot now because they have new phones and are playing. If you want to compare apples and apples, wait until Windows Phone is more mature.