Windows Phone users spend much more money on games than owners of iOS and Android devices, according to EEDAR specialists.
The audience of the mobile version of Windows is much smaller compared to the audiences of Apple and Google platforms, but in one aspect that is extremely important for all developers without exception – monetization – it already bypasses them.
According to a study by the Californian company EEDAR, which monitors the video game market, about 10% of WP users belong to the so-called “whales” (those who spend more than $25 per month on games per month). There are much fewer of them among iOS and Android users – 4%.
EEDAR also noted that out of more than 4.5 million American users of WP smartphones, 28% belong to “dolphins” (those who squander from $5 to $25 per month). The percentage of “dolphins” among iOS and Android users is much lower – 19% and 15%, respectively. If we talk about those who do not pay at all, then there are fewer of them on WP than anywhere else – 21%.
If Microsoft can keep these numbers with further audience growth, developers will have to think about supporting this platform. But at the moment, the number of users is still too small to be of serious interest. For comparison, there are now about 27 million active iOS gamers in the USA and about 34.5 million active Android gamers.
On the other hand, a modest library of games on WP is a plus for the developer. At this stage of the formation of the platform, it is easier to attract attention to the game, create a certain excitement around it, capture the audience. Plus, the competition is much lower here at the moment.
As for the high level of monetization, the following fact plays an important role here: the average price of an application on WP is significantly higher than on competitive platforms (at least, this was the case until recently).