Grand Theft Auto 3 Sales: iOS's true power vs Android

[hitmantb]

This past week, Grand Theft Auto 3 was released at same time for both iOS and Android. Every single tech related web site reported this and all gave it great reviews. Games have always been the #1 category of apps for both iOS and Android, whether it be top paid, top free, or top grossing, games take 50% or more slots on every market. Given iOS games sales beat 3DS + PSP combined this year, it is one of iOS's trump cards.

As I predicted, GTA3 has enough muscles to beat Infinity Blade 2 and went all the way to the top paid app download list and #1 at top grossing chart as well. This is extra impressive given the fact that Rockstar has NO IAP like Infinity Blade 2 to pad their numbers.

4S and iPad 2 already has more muscles than PS2 (higher graphic quality GTA3 for sure), in two years we will have PS3 grade hardware in our pockets and games like Skyrim or Modern Warfare (may need to be shorter but just as sweet style like EA's Dead Space) is very doable with A5 as minimum hardware requirement IF the developer sees enough profit potential.

What about Android? Not only way more device incompatibility issues (can't run it on 2 of the 3 Verizon flagship phones) and bad bad reviews, but the game also sold EXTREMELY poorly. There were multiple versions of the game, none of them on first page of top paid, none of them on first page of top grossing. The highest selling version is stuck between 10000-50000 copies (other versions are 1000-5000, ouch) sold TOTAL, while we all know to be top 5 on paid list of iOS store, you have to score at least 100000 copies on your opening day alone in the US store alone! When you release a product on Apple Store, its is available globally, you do not have to deal with multiple stores and multiple regions! Apple takes care of all of that for you!

And of course, the game is not released on Amazon apps market so #1 selling Android tablet users are out of luck, fragmented ecosystem, fragmented hardware, and piracy! Given the way the game is advertised across every tech blog, I am sure more than 50000 Android users are playing the game. Rockstar probably lost quite a bit of money on the Android side of this development.

Gameloft tried to feed Android with old iOS ports but even they have slowed down. Modern Combat 3, Gangstar Rio etc are all iOS only for now. Same with EA with Sims Freeplay and Need For Speed Shift 2 just to name a few. The reality is the number of high end Android devices is still very low compared to iOS especially when you add in iPad. That market share and Samsung sales numbers is greatly padded by low end phones and prepaid phones at carriers where iPhone is not offered! The Galaxy S2 is the best selling Android phone ever and it sold what 10 million up to this point? Apple sold more 4's in Q3 and it was the quarter before 4S release!

Google needs to clean up their act for Android ecosystem to be worthwhile. Like Microsoft did with DirectX Google needs to provide a unified API. Can they do it? Unlike Microsoft with Windows, Google does not make money from Android directly and has very little experience with hardware support. An iOS user is still using Google search. Until this happens iOS will continue to pocket 90% of the apps revenue AND 55%+ of all mobile phone profits, Apple making more money from iPhone alone (and that was Q3, before 4S) than Google's whole business.

I LOVE the huge 4.5" screens (Galaxy Nexus screen + everything else 4S = perfect phone for me, I like most mainstream uses would sacrifice customization for stability, reliability, consistency and ease of use, the small screen is iPhone's biggest weakness at the moment, it was never meant to be a device for highly technical enthusiasts). But it looks like it is much easier for Apple to offer a bigger screen than Google to ever clean up their ecosystem. Apple already offers screen size choices for iMac/Macbook, time to do it for iPhone!

I see the ecosystem to be iOS's true strength vs Android. In every battle of past (PC vs Mac, Super Nintendo vs Sega Genesis, Sony Playstation vs Nintendo 64), the system with more software sales won in the end. And it is clear iOS will continue to win in this category unless Google can clean up the Android Market in a big way.

 

[Deleted User]

Its only going to get worse since now we have games that only run with a certain chip, Tegra II or some other. All this will kill Android.

 

[shad0wboss]

Who needs a phone to play games when you got your ultra light gaming laptop with you

 

[mazka]

I use Android because I'm a power nerd. By the same token if I want to play a game I'll play on a PC not a phone. I expect I am far from alone and I expect the demographics of Android users match me closer than Apple users.

 

[bioforce]

It's easy to make games when you only have to Target one system. I d personally far rather have a choice of different phones so I can choose the one I like best and then do whatever the heck I want with it. As for the games, I personally don't get people who expect there phones to be serious gaming devices. Sure there are some games I love on Android, but I would never play something like GTA on it That's what I have actual gaming systems for.

 

[richardho2007]

thats good

 

[RyanB]

 

[darkestred]

I use Android because I'm a power nerd. By the same token if I want to play a game I'll play on a PC not a phone. I expect I am far from alone and I expect the demographics of Android users match me closer than Apple users.

Not alone. Rather play on a screen that is fully useable (vita/tablet/laptop) or my PC or Console.

Gaming on a phone generally sucks.

 

[xanok]

I'm sorry but so much of what you said is just silly. Comparing phone game sales to 3DS is ridiculous. 3DS and PSP games cost $20+ and generally give you a much more in depth gaming experience. Droid and iphone games, for the most part, do not. Controls are generally clunky. Often games are unpolished. Unsatisfying multi-player as well.

These are two separate markets as well. Anyone with an iphone or Android is likely going to download a handful of games, whether they are a gamer or not. My gf owns an iphone and she has probably 6-10 games on it. How many video games do you think she plays that aren't on her iphone? ZERO.

In the meanwhile, I have an HTC Evo3D. I consider myself a more than casual, but not a hardcore gamer. I play PC and Wii games regularly and own a DS. I have two games on my phone. Angry Birds and Words With Friends.

Also, do you think playing Skyrim on a phone or tablet is going to be a good experience? HELL NO. It would be awful. Touch screens are not good for in depth gaming and you're kidding yourself if you think otherwise. And also, who the hell wants to play a GORGEOUS game like Skyrim on 10" tablet or 4" iphone? What a waste. I'd much rather see it on my 42" TV, thank you very much.

Anyways, you fail.