Mobile games revenue will double by 2017 as growth spreads worldwide (exclusive)

Mobile games revenue is expected to double from $17.5 billion in 2013 to $35.4 billion by 2017, according to a report from mobile game marketing firm AppLift and market researcher Newzoo. The numbers show that mobile games are spreading worldwide, but the opportunities in each market vary significantly.

The report shows that the Latin American mobile games market is now the fastest growing in the world, with 60 percent growth from last year. The Western European mobile game market, was previously the fastest-growing market in years past, is now one of the slowest at 25 percent growth year-over-year.

Marketing costs are rising. Total revenue for the Asia Pacific market will be $12.2 billion in 2014. North America, by comparison, will be only $4.9 billion. Western Europe will be $3.2 billion. Eastern Europe will be $630 million. Latin America will be $510 million, and the Middle East and Africa will be $380 million.

Average spend per month per paying mobile user in Asia Pacific has grown from $2.86 to $4.17. And the average spend per month per paying mobile user in North America has grown from $3.87 to $6.21.

Newzoo Applift data
Newzoo Applift data

Dean Takahashi

Dean Takahashi is editorial director for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He has been a tech journalist since 1988, and he has covered games as a beat since 1996. He was lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat from 2008 to April 2025. Prior to that, he wrote for the San Jose Mercury News, the Red Herring, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Dallas Times-Herald. He is the author of two books, "Opening the Xbox" and "The Xbox 360 Uncloaked." He organizes the annual GamesBeat Next, GamesBeat Summit and GamesBeat Insider Series: Hollywood and Games conferences and is a frequent speaker at gaming and tech events. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.