Android is on track to make more from mobile games than iOS in 2019, and will likely continue to open the gap in coming years.
Many hardcore gamers tend to look down upon and disparage mobile gamers. They are often accused of not being "proper" gamers, whatever that might mean. We're afraid to inform anyone who might have that mentality that developers almost definitely care about mobile gamers more than they care about you. Pretty much everyone has a mobile, while only a fraction of society owns a console or games on a PC.
According to Newzoo, the mobile gaming industry made more than $60 billion last year - $62.2 billion to be exact, which was a $5.9 billion increase in 2017. During both 2017 and 2018, the majority of revenue has been brought in by iOS. However, Apple's dominance of the industry has been slipping from 52% in 2017 to 51% last year.
Newzoo's statistics would suggest that trend is set to continue in 2019, and we will actually see Android overtake iOS by the end of this year. The predicted total revenue for mobile gaming this year is $68.5 billion, so another big step up for the industry in general. It's expected that Android will be responsible for $35 billion of that, so a 51% share. Meanwhile, iOS is predicted to bring in $33.5 billion.
Despite having the potential to take the top spot in its two-horse race with iOS, Apple still has the bragging rights of sorts. That's because the real battle is between iOS and Google. Android's predicted lion share is made up of sales from both Google Play and third-party Android storefronts. While Google's share continues to grow year-on-year, there is still a lot of daylight between it and iOS. If Newzoo's predictions are correct, Google's share of mobile gaming's total will be 36% by the end of the year.
If the trend continues in the same way that it has done for the past two years, Android's potential majority will only continue to grow. It's expected that by 2022, 56% of mobile game revenue will be down to Android, leaving iOS with just 44%. There's also an expectation that the industry will be bringing in more than $95 billion per year by then. It's clear mobile gaming has a big future and Apple knows that hence the release of subscription service Apple Arcade today.
Source: Newzoo