EMEA Online Gaming Market 2014 News
The advent of mobile gaming continues to draw the attention of increasing numbers of players. The net effect of this new reality has been the creation of scores of mobile gaming sites from the world’s top online casino operators. There have been several notable developments in the mobile arena of late, as reported by the EMEA Online Gaming Market 2014 study. The yStats market report relays secondary market research to top managers regarding the latest market trends. The results of the report indicate a market increase in online gaming activity overall – especially in the emerging market economies throughout the Middle East, Africa and Europe.
EMEA Online Gaming Market Findings
The United Kingdom led the spending on digital gaming and Germany led the way in terms of average monthly revenue per player. It has been estimated that online gaming is enjoyed by 1 in 5 people in the UK. Further, there is tremendous upside potential for the online gaming market in the UK as mobile communications are popular. Across Europe, Germany continues to enjoy lots of interest in internet gaming. Personal computers and consoles are popular for online players but mobile and social media platforms like Facebook are gaining in prominence. Germans prefer a unique spread of mobile games such as action games, casual games and strategy-based games.
France is expecting the digital games market to increase, in spite of the downtrend globally in this market. Figures reveal that France’s digital gaming market increased by 10% during 2013. Neighbouring country Belgium reported a strong surge in the popularity of casual games and social games in the mobile gaming arena. Much the same is true in Spain and Italy. Further east, Russia is enjoying a thriving online gaming industry and the mobile and social sectors are expected to increase dramatically. The largest spike in online gaming activity comes from the MMO sector. It is projected that some 60 million people will become involved in mobile gaming in Russia by 2016.
The Middle East Booms with Mobile Casino
In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), some 25% of Internet users download video games/computer games online. This figure represents a doubling of their share from 2010. Some 10% of all mobile users in the Emirates download all their games on mobile smartphones and tablets. In Saudi Arabia and Jordan mobile gaming now reaches 10% of Internet users from those countries. In Africa, the increasing popularity of mobile gaming is also notable. Countries like Senegal, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria have reported an overall increase in the popularity of mobile gaming. South Africa – the southernmost country on the continent – is expected to record a double-digit growth between 2013 and 2017.
The net effect of global mobile gaming popularity has spurred an increase in the development of mobile gaming sites.
