Feb 4, 2010

Mplayit Mobile Apps Analysis Shows iPhone Users 'Got Game'

Games Twice as Popular on iPhone than Android, BlackBerry; Smartphone Users Play Similar Kinds of Games

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 4-- On the heels of Apple's iPad announcement, Mplayit today released a survey that underscores iPhone users' strong interest in mobile games as compared to Android and BlackBerry users on Mplayit's popular app store on Facebook.

With games making up only 20 percent of the over 130,000 iPhone apps available on the Mplayit site, nearly 50 percent of the site traffic centered on games. Among Android users, only 20 percent of browsing focused on gaming applications. Even BlackBerry users are more fun-loving than Android users, with about 30 percent of activity coming from the games category on the Mplayit site.

"iPhone developers are driving this phenomenon, putting out simply fantastic games that get people excited," said Michael Powers, founder and CEO of Mplayit. "But the 'developer catch up' is underway on Android. And although Blackberry is renowned for apps, it continues to be underrated and overlooked as a games platform.''

Mplayit is the company best known for its groundbreaking new social mobile app store on the Facebook platform supporting the full application catalogs for iPhone, BlackBerry and Android devices. Users can rate, comment and recommend individual apps to their social network on Facebook and Twitter, in addition to browsing friends' app collections and following their interests.

Mplayit's findings, drawn from live data collected from over 50,000 users of its Facebook app store over a two week period ending January 29, highlights the kinds of games that were popular for each of the three major smartphone audiences.

The most active game categories on all three platforms were largely identical: Arcade, Casual, Card/Casino and Puzzle. However, there were some significant differences in taste across platforms.

Music games were particularly popular on the iPhone, befitting its media-centric iPod heritage. Android users showed a predilection toward 'geeky' games making innovative use of things like the GPS, camera and augmented reality, and the BlackBerry audience gravitated toward television and movie tie-ins.

There were also some significant commercial differences. BlackBerry users stuck with major franchises and larger publishers, reflecting perhaps the carrier-centric history of the device. Indie developers hold their own against the big games publishers on the iPhone, and continue to dominate the Android's relatively immature market.

"Intense competition on the iPhone makes it increasingly hard for stuff to surface," said Powers. "Android is a less crowded, even playing field that we expect will grow and grow quickly."

"What are people playing?"

iPhone

Top-3 most popular iPhone games at Mplayit in each of the top-5 most popular categories.

47% of most popular iPhone apps at Mplayit are games.

Arcade

1. TETRIS

http://mplayit.com/iphone/TETRIS

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2. Cooking Mama

http://mplayit.com/iphone/CookingMama

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3. Skies of Glory

http://mplayit.com/iphone/SkiesofGlory

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Casual

1. The Sims 3

http://mplayit.com/iphone/TheSims3

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2. Bejeweled 2

http://mplayit.com/iphone/Bejeweled2

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3. Tap Farm

http://mplayit.com/iphone/TapFarm

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Card/Casino

1. Wheel of Fortune

http://mplayit.com/iphone/WheelofFortune

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2. Live Poker by Zynga

http://mplayit.com/iphone/LivePokerbyZynga

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3. Ramp Champ

http://mplayit.com/iphone/RampChamp

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Puzzle

1. Enigmo

http://mplayit.com/iphone/Enigmo

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2. Labyrinth 2

http://mplayit.com/iphone/Labyrinth2

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3. Finger Physics

http://mplayit.com/iphone/FingerPhysics

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Music

1. Tap Tap Revenge 3

http://mplayit.com/iphone/TapTapRevenge3

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2. Rock Band

http://mplayit.com/iphone/ROCKBAND

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3. Scratch LP

http://mplayit.com/iphone/ScratchLP

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Android

Most popular Android games at Mplayit in each of the five most popular categories.

20% of most popular Android apps at Mplayit are games.

Arcade

1. Pinball

http://mplayit.com/android/Pinball

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2. Raging Thunder

http://mplayit.com/android/RagingThunder

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3. Light Racer 3D

http://mplayit.com/android/LightRacer3D

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Casual

1. Bonsai Blast

http://mplayit.com/android/BonsaiBlast

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2. The Sims 3

http://mplayit.com/android/THESIMS3

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3. Crazy Bricks

http://mplayit.com/android/CrazyBricks

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Card/Casino

1. Golf Solitaire

http://mplayit.com/android/GolfSolitaire

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2. Live Poker

http://mplayit.com/android/LivePoker-TexasHoldem

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3. Solitaire

http://mplayit.com/android/Solitaire

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Puzzle

1. Labyrinth Lite

http://mplayit.com/android/LabyrinthLite

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2. Amazed 2

http://mplayit.com/android/Amazed2

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3. Puzzle Blox

http://mplayit.com/android/PuzzleBlox

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Augmented Reality

1. Barcode Beasties

http://mplayit.com/android/BarcodeBeasties

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2. Zombie, Run!

http://mplayit.com/android/ZombieRun

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3. Parallel Kingdom AOE

http://mplayit.com/android/ParallelKingdomAOE

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BlackBerry

Most popular BlackBerry games at Mplayit in each of the five most popular categories.

30% of most popular BlackBerry apps at Mplayit are games.

Arcade

1. Bubble Town

http://mplayit.com/blackberry/BubbleTown2

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2. Ms PAC-MAN by Namco

http://mplayit.com/blackberry/MsPAC-MANbyNamco

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3. Super Street Fighter II

http://mplayit.com/blackberry/SUPERSTREETFIGHTERII

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Casual

1. The Sims 3

http://mplayit.com/blackberry/TheSims3

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2. Yahtzee Adventures

http://mplayit.com/blackberry/YAHTZEEAdventures

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3. Super Mah Jong Quest

http://mplayit.com/blackberry/SuperMahJongQuest

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Card/Casino

1. GT Blackjack

http://mplayit.com/blackberry/GTBlackjack

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2. Aces Solitaire Pack

http://mplayit.com/blackberry/AcesSolitairePack

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3. Girls Night Out Solitaire

http://mplayit.com/blackberry/GirlsNightOutSolitaire

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Puzzle

1. PileUp! Candymania

http://mplayit.com/blackberry/PileUpCandymania

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2. Shake And Spell Free

http://mplayit.com/blackberry/ShakeAndSpellFree

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3. Zodiac

http://mplayit.com/blackberry/Zodiac

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Movie/TV

1. Deal or No Deal New

http://mplayit.com/blackberry/DealOrNoDealNew

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2. Spider-Man Toxic City

http://mplayit.com/blackberry/Spider-ManToxicCity

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3. CSI Miami

http://mplayit.com/blackberry/CSIMiami

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About Mplayit

Mplayit is the leading global provider for online playable discovery and social merchandising of mobile games and applications. The company's proprietary software solutions enable mobile content providers to better merchandise, market, and interact with a targeted user audience of mobile consumers. Mplayit is backed by New Atlantic Ventures.

Source: Mplayit