MUMBAI: The evolution in mobile games - involving subscription and downloads - is set to continue in the next five years, with a growth in global revenues from $3.1 bn in 2006 to approaching $17.6 bn by 2011, according to Juniper Research. A rise producing a cumulative revenue stream of nearly $57 bn over the next six years has been predicted.

According to Juniper, the Asia Pacific region has dominated the market since its inception, with Japanese and South Korean markets in the vanguard. Asia Pacific is forecast to contribute 38 per cent of cumulative revenues from 2006 to 2011, with Europe contributing 31 per cent, North America 22 per cent and the rest of the world 9 per cent.

The Juniper report reveals that Mobile Games have come of age - no longer the poor relation of console and PC games. Mobile Games provide a different family with their own characteristics - satisfying an increasing need courtesy of evolving technology.

The growth trend is set to continue, with the broader electronic games and entertainment industry acknowledging the rise in popularity of the mobile games industry according to its new status.

Whilst the leading edge games technology will focus on 3D and multiplayer games, the greatest growth will come from the casual game sector. Female games players will also grow as a proportion of the market with a more even balance of genders using mobile games in the future.

Juniper Research research director Bruce Gibson says, “I think the mobile games industry has at last found its identity, and it is a strong one. There is a real demand for mobile entertainment and games are at the very heart of it.

The casual games sector is going to be the market driver, even though it may not be at the leading edge of mobile games technology. Casual games make most use of the inherent advantages of the mobile platform. People want to fill ‘dead time’ with easy to use, but fun games. This is the same in just about every culture.”