Parks Associates: North America and Europe Playing ``Catch-up'' in Mobile Gaming; Report Finds That Wider 3G Deployments and More Capable Mobile Handsets in These Regions Will Help Close the Gap

Business Wire, Feb 16, 2006

DALLAS -- Consumers in Asia-Pacific (APAC) countries lead European and North American consumers more than two to one in the adoption of both single-player and multiplayer mobile gaming, according to "Networked Gaming: Driving the Future," a new report from Parks Associates.

In the APAC countries surveyed, 28% of consumers play single-player mobile games on at least a weekly basis, versus 13% in Europe and 8% in North America. Further, 7% of Asia-Pacific consumers play multiplayer mobile games on a weekly basis, versus 2% in both Europe and North America.

"Cellular operators in North America and Europe are lagging behind their Asia-Pacific counterparts in mobile gaming, but they are starting to increase their focus on this area," said Yuanzhe (Michael) Cai, director of broadband and gaming at Parks Associates. "Large game publishers such as EA are also reevaluating market opportunities and investing heavily in the space, so with wider deployments of 3G mobile networks and the continued development of feature-rich handsets with gamer-friendly designs, these regions should be able to reduce the international gaming gap."

According to "Networked Gaming: Driving the Future," 3D multiplayer gaming and casual PC-to-mobile gaming would both be good first steps in driving the mobile gaming market. The mobile gaming market could also benefit from innovations such as cross-platform designs that position a mobile phone as an extension platform to online PC and console games. Other innovations the report mentions include the integration of location-based services (LBS), social networking, and multiplayer mobile gaming.

"Leveraging unique characteristics such as always-on connectivity and always-with-you ubiquity is extremely important to the success of mobile gaming," Cai said. "Focusing on brands and franchise licenses alone is not a sustainable model."

"Networked Gaming: Driving the Future" discusses consumer adoption of networked gaming, including consumer profiles and interest in connected and cross-platform gaming. It also covers the technology solutions enabling such services and examines the market impact and revenue opportunities for game developers, hardware manufacturers, and broadband service providers.

For additional information on "Networked Gaming: Driving the Future," visit http://www.parksassociates.com or contact 972-490-1113 or sales@parksassociates.com.

About Parks Associates: Parks Associates is a market research and consulting firm focused on all product and service segments that are "digital" or provide connectivity within the home. The company's expertise includes home networks, digital entertainment, consumer electronics, broadband and Internet services, and home systems.

Founded in 1986, Parks Associates creates research capital for companies ranging from Fortune 500 to small start-ups through market reports, multiclient studies, consumer research, workshops, and custom-tailored client solutions. Parks Associates also hosts Fall Focus and co-hosts CONNECTIONS(TM) (in partnership with the Consumer Electronics Association) each year. www.parksassociates.com