The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article that reverberates comments made recently by Apple’s iPhone and iPod product marketer, Greg Joswiak.
The same article also quoted Steve Jobs in acknowledging that the iPhone and iPod touch may soon emerge as a really viable device in the mobile gaming market this coming holiday.
Of note, Sega has already made 500,000 copies of its popular game “Super Monkey Ball” at $10 each to iPhone and iPod touch owners. According to Sega, the game has already reached a sales level that is considered to be a hit when compared against games for Nintendo’s DS or Sony’s PlayStation Portable, which is usually priced up to $40 each.
Simon Jeffrey, the US President of Sega added that, games sold via Apple’s App Store that uses a model where Apple gets to keep 30% of the proceeds from each software sale are the most profitable when compared against other formats that they have worked on.
According to Steve Jobs, 200 million copies of apps have been downloaded thru the App Store, with about a quarter of being games. A large number of these downloads are free software that Apple hopes gain more demand for its iPhone and iPod touch devices.
The online delivery method for games, which also results in lowered distribution costs has lured many developers to sign up and make profitable games that sells for just a few dollars. Some are even given away for free thru advertising.
Now, with 13 million iPhones sold so far, its no wonder that Apple has been constantly attacking the mobile games market. Recent months has seen Apple wooing game-industry execs, hosting technical meetings with game developers as well as shouting games in the new iPod touch commercial.
John Carmack revealed that Id Software, makers of shooter titles like Doom and Quake, is developing two iPhone games. However, he doesn’t expect the iPhone to displace the DS or PSP as the devices themselves have their own fairly robust market.
You may read the article in its entirety here.
