Mobile Game Revenue To Top $11 Billion By 2015

Mobile game revenue is expected to nearly double by 2015, Juniper Research predicted today.

According to the market researcher, mobile game revenue topped $6 billion last year.

By 2015, Juniper predicts, that figure will be over $11 billion. However, the research firm noted that as time goes on, a shift will occur with revenue migrating from the "traditional pay-per-download model" to in-game purchases.

Juniper expects that by 2013, more revenue will be generated from in-game purchases than from actual downloads of mobile games. The research firm said "discoverability remains a problem for developers and publishers on some app stores," so offering a free title and then getting people to pay for more levels or virtual goods is becoming the more desired way to attract gamers and revenue.

It could be a smart move. Earlier this month, research firm In-Stat reported that virtual goods revenue is expected to reach $7.3 billion this year. In 2007, consumers spent just $2.1 billion on virtual goods. By 2014, the firm predicts, customers could spend more than $14 billion on in-game virtual goods. Although those figures include data from social-networking titles, in addition to mobile games, it effectively highlights the growth in this area.

Juniper also reported that although games are available on several different mobile platforms, "Apple's iPhone/App Store combination has set the benchmark, with a higher share of revenue for developers."


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Retailers Get Ready For Black Ops Midnight Release

The Nov. 9 release of Call of Duty: Black Ops has got retailers preparing for a midnight release tonight of what should be the biggest multi-platform game release of the year. Best Buy, Gamestop, Walmart, Toys R Us are among the nationwide stores taking part in the midnight release.

GameStop will be hosting midnight releases at 4,408 of its stores where you can enter the “going camo” face painting and Call of Duty trivia contests, and also get 250 PowerUp Rewards bonus points when purchasing within 48 hours of the launch. The game will be viewable at 9:30 PM. Find a Best Buy location here.

Best Buy will also be open in more locations than last year’s Call of Duty release (over 400 this year) and will be offering sales support and deals for customers interested in 3D gameplay. You can find a participating Best Buy using this link.

At Walmart 24 hour locations we hear that you can apparently get there at 9:30 pm to play the game (if lines permit) and you’ll can also get a special Black Ops Bandana as part of the release. Find a participating Walmart store here.

Call of Duty: Black Ops from Activision will sell in three different editions for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 that include the Standard Edition for $59.99, the Hardened Edition for $79.99, and the Prestige Edition for $149.99.

‘Black Ops’ will also be available for Windows PC, Nintendo Wii, and Nintendo DS, however, only in the Standard Edition.

Xbox 360 Update Taps ESPN, Zune Music

Xbox 360 owners who power up their consoles today will be greeted with the fall update to the console's Xbox Live service.

The update includes access to ESPN content. According to Microsoft, the ESPN offering will give people access to more than 3,500 live and on-demand sporting events a year. The ESPN integration also includes scoreboards, voice chat, and the ability to "predict the winner" of games.

Through Zune Music, people will be able to stream "millions of songs" from the Zune Marketplace, as long as they have a Zune Pass music subscription.

Microsoft also said it has streamlined Netflix search, improved quality in voice chat, and made a fix that makes it easier to access wireless networks. The ESPN content, Zune Music, and Netflix search require an Xbox Live Gold account.

This week is shaping up to be a big one for Microsoft. The fall update comes three days before the release of the highly anticipated Kinect motion-gaming peripheral. Kinect lets people control on-screen action with body movements alone. It will sell for $150.


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