Gameloft's 2007 results

French mobile game developer Gameloft (EPA:GFT) announced details of the company's sales results for Q4 2007 and for all of 2007. For the quarter, Gameloft had sales of EUR25.8 million, up 19% from the previous year. Full year sales increased by 40% compared to 2006, reaching EUR96.1 million.

The sales of downloadable games, which are the company's core business, reached EUR90.2 million during 2007, a 45% increase over 2006.

Europe represented 44% of sales for full-year 2007, North America 34% and the rest of the world 22%. The sharpest growth took place in the rest of the world, up 86%.

"The market shares gained by the company in 2007 are due to the strong performance of Gameloft's back catalog, which continued to account for more than 70% of the Company's downloads, and also investments in R&D made in 2007," said a Gameloft representative. "These investments allowed us to release more games than our competitors on more handsets across more countries. To date, Gameloft's catalogue includes 200 mobile games adapted to over 1,200 different handsets and sold in over 80 countries via direct distribution agreements signed with more than 180 carriers."

Gameloft is the biggest "pureplay" mobile game publisher in the world, and they are either #2 or #3 in market share for mobile games worldwide behind Electonic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS).

Glu Mobile (NASDAQ:GLUU), the other #2 or #3 in market share, will issue its earnings release for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2007 after the market close on Monday, February 11, 2008.

Grey's Anatomy Mobile Game

Fans of Grey's Anatomy who like to play games will be excited to hear that Gameloft, a top publisher of mobile games, is bringing Grey’s Anatomy: The Mobile Game to casual gamers and fans alike.

I tried to buy the game today by texting “GREY” to shortcode 82174, but unfortunately it's not available for my Samsung ZX-10. (Note: I know my phone is old. I am anxiously awaiting a new device that is supposed to show up next week.)

So, I haven't played it yet, but Gameloft's release has this to say:

Featuring rendered environments that faithfully replicate the set of the show, Grey’s Anatomy: The Mobile Game will allow players to live through the series’ most intense moments and see them through the eyes of the characters. Play as Meredith and meet Izzie, George, Cristina or Alex and experience their storylines in an adventure especially created for you to enjoy in the palm of your hand.

This is not the first "TV game" published by Gameloft. They've also developed mobile games for TV shows, Heroes and CSI Miami. Other mobile game publishers have followed their lead, including Limelife with Top Chef Challenge and RealArcade with The Apprentice.

I haven't seen any reviews of Grey's Anatomy: The Mobile Game, but Gameloft's products are usually well done, so if you're a fan of the show, check it out.

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."

Gameloft - Making $$ in Mobile Gaming

One month after announcing they had sold over 100 million mobile games worldwide, Gameloft has announced record sales of 24.4 million euro for the third quarter.

During the first nine months of 2007, the company had sales of 70.2 million euro, up 51% from the same period last year. In addition, Gameloft has reiterated its annual sales target of 95 to 100 million euro.

Europe accounted for 44% of sales during the first nine months of 2007, North America 35% and the rest of the world 21%. Over this period, the strongest growth took place in the rest of the world, up 82%.

Gameloft said that it intends to release approximately 25 titles between the end of September and December 2007, including Heroes, CSI: Miami (pictured), Assassin's Creed, Prince of Persia Classics and Beowulf.

This is great news because there has been a lot of talk about limited growth in mobile gaming over the last year. Perhaps it's possible that Gameloft is simply taking market share from other mobile game publishers but I highly doubt this accounts for all of the 51% growth in the period.

Glu, another big mobile game publisher, is scheduled to announce their most recent quarter results on Thursday, so we'll report on that later this week.