Those who are quick to judge Konami harshly for their decision to focus on mobile platforms may just be thinking with their hard core gaming hearts. Phones and tablets may be their best bet to get their feet back on steady ground after losing top designer Hideo Kojima, forcing them to cancel Silent Hills and leaving uncertain the future of the Metal Gear franchise. We've known this to be true in Japan for a while, but MCV reports that now in the UK too, consoles are losing ground to handheld devices.
While revenue continues to grow in the console space, its market presence is shrinking to 48%, with mobile gaming taking the majority overall share. This is according to research firm Newzoo, whose CEO Peter Warman adds “Mobile will take 28 per cent of all game spending in the UK this year as the market matures and growth rates slow down.”
It's true that mobile games are an overall smaller investment, but as more capable devices find their way into the hands and pockets of consumers who take them everywhere, it's easy to argue that there will be an increase in software and virtual goods purchases as well.
Have your spending habits changed on mobile? Are there suddenly more casual gamers around you than there were before smartphones became ubiquitous? Let us know your thoughts!
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Source: MCV UK
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