Top Mobile Games on Verizon for 2007

This week is the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. There will be lots of news coming out of the show that we will try to report on. One headline today came from Verizon Wireless, who announced the 10 most successful mobile games the company introduced in 2007. The top-ranked games of the past year include:

1. Tetris by EA Mobile (New 2007 version)
2. Smarter Than A 5th Grader? by Capcom Entertainment
3. Guitar Hero III by Hands-On Mobile
4. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare by Glu
5. Need for Speed ProStreet 3D by EA Mobile
6. Diner Dash 2 by Glu
7. Assassin's Creed by Gameloft
8. Madden NFL 08 by EA SPORTS 3D by EA Mobile
9. The Simpsons by EA Mobile
10. God of War: Betrayal by Sony Pictures Digital

Tammy Robinson, manager of broadband, wireless downloadable content for Verizon Wireless, noted, "We are constantly adding new games to a variety of categories -- including sports, action and strategy games -- because Verizon Wireless customers have demonstrated they have a healthy appetite for mobile games."

2008 - The Year of the Mobile Game

The Mobile Phone Blog, powered by Movaya, predicts 2008 will be the Year of the Mobile Game.

Here at the MPB, we pay close attention to the daily barrage of blog posts, industry analysis, insider rumors, and of course to our business at Movaya. And everything we know adds up to 2008 being the year that the Mobile Game busts out of the shadows and into the hand of the average American.

Some of the reasons why:

• Mobile gaming growth rate stronger than console (XBOX, PS, Wii) and handheld (think portable playstation) games; trails only casual games today (MobileIndustry article)
• Mobile game publishers are embracing off-deck solutions, as witnessed by the GLU financial statements, EA's quarterly statements and the general traction Movaya is getting from game publisher sign ups (including Capcom, Com2uS, Machineworks Northwest, PlayerX, Superscape and more).
  
• Verizon opens up: Introduces 'Any app, Any Device'. No off-deck yet, but it is on the way, and Verizon is clearly starting to think outside 'the walls'. Read more here
  
• iPhone users are proving that games matter, since 6 out of the top 10 applications used today are games (Apple iPhone Apps Countdown) - this says a lot about the usefulness of advanced devices and their ability to play games.
  
• Google releases Android, the open-source mobile OS, suggesting a future of customer-centric devices made for advanced gaming
• Overall, the mobile-game market in the United States is worth more than $675 million a year - and has grown 24 percent in the past 12 months, according to Nielsen Media Research. Some analysts expect it to double in revenue next year, thanks to shows like Top Chef Challenge that target new demographics.
• The international market is also projected to double - topping $10 billion by the end of next year, with 920 million mobile users downloading games, according to a report issued last month by Jupiter Research, a global leader in high-tech communications research.

Help Movaya make 2008 a great year in Mobile Gaming and Applications, and let us help you by making our platform better, send us your ideas for the new year: Email the team

Happy New Year Everyone.

Relief on ETFs

Good news for Sprint & T-Mobile subscribers who want to get out of their contracts early and get an iPhone from AT&T. Today, Sprint Nextel Corp. announced it will pro-rate its early termination fees (ETFs) for customers, the last of the four national wireless carriers to do so. T-Mobile announced yesterday that it too will begin to prorate early termination fees next year.

“T-Mobile is widely recognized as the undisputed service leader in wireless. We want to do everything possible to create a great experience so customers want to stay with us for years,” said Sue Nokes, senior vice president, Sales and Customer Service, T-Mobile USA. “This announcement builds on our heritage of listening closely to our customers and always striving to meet their needs.”

Though exact details will not be announced and introduced until the first half of 2008, ETFs will decline over the course of a Sprint and T-Mobile contract. When they become effective, the terms will apply to new customers as well as current customers renewing contracts. Sprint and T-Mobile join Verizon and AT&T, both of which introduced pro-rated ETFs earlier this year.