For the purposes of the App Annie & IDC Gaming Report H1 2015, online multiplayer is defined as any game that includes features by which a player’s gameplay materially and directly affects the gameplay and in-game outcomes of another player. This definition encompasses real-time and turn-based/asynchronous gameplay; a game that supports both single-player (story) and online multiplayer modes is considered a multiplayer title. Games in which the interaction among players is limited to leaderboards, virtual item sharing/gifting and similarly tangential social interactions are excluded. The revenue and download figures in the App Annie & IDC Gaming Report H1 2015 are based on estimates available through App Annie Intelligence. Intelligence revenue estimates are based on revenue that the iOS App Store and Google Play earned from paid downloads and in-app purchases. They do not include revenue earned from in-app advertising. The Indexed Consumer Spending on Games metric provides an easy way of comparing different consumer spending numbers against each other. For example, if Q1 2014 has Indexed Consumer Spending on Games of 100 and Q1 2015 has Indexed Consumer Spending on Games of 200, then Q1 2015 consumer spending is 200/100 = 2 times as high as Q1 2014 consumer spending. If Q1 2015 has Indexed Consumer Spending on Games of 80, then Q1 2015 consumer spending is 80/100 = 80% of Q1 2014 consumer spending. The app store share of consumer spend on apps is assumed to be a uniform 30% across all countries for the iOS App Store and Google Play stores. Download figures are based on individually downloaded apps and exclude app downloads when included in bundles. Revenue figures are based on download revenue from individually downloaded paid apps as well as in-app purchase revenue from both individually downloaded apps and app bundles. App rankings are based on the App Annie DNA relationships as of April 1, 2015. App Annie DNA relationships are subject to change over time. Occasionally, a publisher may decide to shift an existing app from one category to another category. In these cases, the App Annie & IDC Gaming Report H1 2015 ranks that app based on its app store categorization as of April 1, 2015. Similar versions of the same app with different names are unified and ranked as a single app (e.g., Candy Crush Saga, Candy Crush Kakao, 糖果传奇, and 캔디크러쉬사가 are aggregated and ranked as a single Candy Crush Saga unified app). In the iOS App Store, an app can be categorized under a Primary Category as well as an optional Secondary Category. If an app has a Primary Category of Games and a Secondary Category of Entertainment, it is a candidate to be included only in the Games category. If the app’s Primary Category is Entertainment and its Secondary Category is Games, then it is not a candidate to be included in the Games category. In Google Play, an app can be categorized under only one category, so there is no double-categorization. Mobile installed base and handheld game console data are based on estimates from IDC. IDC inputs into the App Annie & IDC Gaming Report H1 2015 were drawn from a combination of the following sources: public filings and statements from Nintendo and Sony or their representatives; annual or semiannual IDC surveys such as the ConsumerScape 360 Survey and U.S. Gamer Survey; public filings and statements from game developers/publishers or their representatives; associated IDC data sets such as the Mobile Phone Tracker; and title-specific inputs gleaned from public Web sources. Software totals for the handheld game console market segment, typified by Nintendo 3DS and Sony PlayStation Vita, include packaged game cards and discs as well as the digital equivalents of these games. Digital-only title volumes and revenues are excluded. All advertising revenue is also excluded. Historical totals are not adjusted to account for inflation or exchange rate fluctuations. For additional methodological background please contact IDC or visit: http://www.idc.com/about/methodology.jsp. Any non-App Annie and non-IDC trademarks or images used in this report are the property of their respective owners. App Annie and IDC claim no rights in those trademarks.
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