Android And iOS Account For 58% of Portable Gaming Revenue in U.S.

Flurry, mobile analytics firm, reports that portable gaming has seen a continuous shift from dedicated gaming devices to smartphones and other multifunctional devices.

According to Flurry’s NPD market research and its own data on mobile apps, Android and iOS mobile platforms will account for 58 percent of portable gaming sales revenue in the U.S. for 2011, which is almost opposite to the market situation in 2010 when dedicated device from Sony and Nintendo held 57 percent of the market.

“The most striking trend is that iOS and Android games have tripled their market share from roughly 20% in 2009 to nearly 60% in just two years. Simultaneously, Nintendo, the once dominant player, has been crushed down to owning about one-third of market in 2011, from having controlled more than two-thirds in 2009. Combined, iOS and Android game revenue delivered $500 million, $800 million and $1.9 billion over 2009, 2010 and 2011, respectively”.

The growing popularity of cheap and free games for multipurpose devices versus high-cost game titles for dedicated devices are clearly beneficial for Android and iOS.

Nintendo has resisted pressure to make its games available on iPhone and other platforms, continuing its long-lasting tradition of offering its games exclusively on its own hardware. However, Flurry notes that rapidly-shifting portable gaming market may soon force Nintendo to make a decision whether to bring its games to other platforms or to watch its business gradually failing.