Mobile gaming in Asia/Pacific has been successfully established, with revenues reaching US$1.56 billion in 2005, reports In-Stat (http://www.in-stat.com). Japan and South Korea have been largely responsible for the revenue thus far, accounting for around half of the region’s total in 2005, the high-tech market research firm says. Future growth drivers, however, will be the large, growing mobile markets of China and India.

“While there is great growth potential with expected increases in mobile subscribers and gaming-capable handsets, current problems are proving difficult to surmount,” says Bryan Wang, In-Stat analyst. “In-Stat’s user survey reflects low penetration of mobile games among Asia/Pacific mobile phone users. Fragmentation of the mobile gaming industry, revenue sharing issues, poor user experiences, competition from dedicated portable gaming devices, and game piracy are all issues needing to be addressed.”

Recent research by In-Stat found the following:

– Mobile gaming in Asia/Pacific will reach US$4.4 billion in 2010.

– 3G users spend 70% more per month on mobile gaming than 2G users.

– Interest levels in mobile gaming are low, with more than half of both 2G and 3G users indicating they would be unlikely to play mobile games within the next six months.