Trusted Reviews – A new combined report from IDC and App Annie has discovered that mobile games accounted for 75 per cent of the handheld gaming market last year. Despite significant growth for the Nintendo 3DS and a strong software line-up for the handheld, it was still totally outmatched by the spending on mobile platforms.

Overall, spending in the Android Google Play Store increased in Q4 2014 by four times when compared to the same period the year before. iOS App Store spending also increased, doubling the figures achieved in Q4 2012 this year. In total, global revenue generated in the Apple App Store soared beyond $200 million (£119 million).

“While consumers have traditionally spent more on games versus other types of apps, more than 75 per cent of combined iOS & Google Play consumer app spending in 4Q13 came from games,” said Bertrand Schmitt, CEO of App Annie. “This is a significant increase compared to Q4 2012 and a testament to the ever-growing popularity of games.”

The Nintendo 3DS game sales rose by 10 million between 2012 and 2013, with a total sale number rising over 30 million. Combined, game sales for the PS Vita and the PSP only amounted to 9 million during 9 million, although the report’s data didn’t take digital-only titles into consideration.

Between 2012 and 2013, sales of boxed and full-game digital handheld games for the Nintendo and PlayStation handheld range rose 9 per cent.

Of all the handheld titles released last year, Nintendo 3DS games topped the bestselling list. The top three were Pokemon X & Y, Animal Crossing: New Lead and Luigi’s Mansion 2: Dark Moon, despite the launch of the critically acclaimed Tearaway for PS Vita later on in the year.
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