Purchasing
This database can be purchased online or ordered directly from TMRC.
To purchase the Global Database in either version

Scope

 

Quality

In 2005 TMRC set out to build a global database of mobile games Developers, Aggregator-Distributors, Publishers and Portals (DAPPs)*, with a view to specifically identifying as many as possible. To ensure that no stone was left unturned we systematically checked games enterprises of all platform types (including Console, Handheld, PDA, PC/Mac etc), plus the vast array of new start-ups derived from the latest Mobile Games Enterprises news. We have invested over three years work in a worldwide search, and have followed following every conceivable lead. To date more than 150,000 web sites have been visited and checked.

*To see a definition of Developers, Aggregator-Distributors, Publishers and Portals

How up-to-date is the database?

We are confident that this database is more up-to-datethan any ither rival source and it is our intention to refresh the database every four months. In addition if a sufficient number of clientele insist on a higher frequency of updates we will give this serious consideration.

Format

The database is being made available in the widely accepted CSV (Comma Separated Values) format, enabling it to be ported into Excel, Access and a host of other industry standard databases. The comma-separated values (or CSV) file format is a file type that stores tabular data (like in an Excel sheet). The format is long established and as a consequence CSV files are common on all computer platforms.

Size

The latest version of the database, as at August 2008 contains 2,003 actively trading Mobile Games enterprises worldwide. As far as we can ascertain these estimates are at least three times greater than the nearest rival lists offerings.

What constitutes a Mobile Games Enterprise

To be eligible for inclusion in our database enterprises have been defined as actively trading commercial entities ranging from multinational, publicly quoted companies at one extreme, through to 1-2 man operators at the other. It should be noted that where enterprises have subsidiaries operating in more than one country we have counted them separately (although they obviously all share the same parent). We have done so as they invariably have unique website addresses (URLs), commercial activities exclusive to the countries in question, as well as local management teams offering a unique commercial interface to those customers in the country in which it is they are physically based.

Purchasing Options

We offer a flexible range of alternative purchasing possibilities:

  • one-off purchase of The Full Profiles or The Essential Contacts database
  • Purchase Regional Groupings eg Greater Europe or Japan and South Korea
  • purchase just one country or a group of countries
  • purchase specific activity groupings eg all Aggregators, Portals or Developers etc.
  • Purchase just once or take out a Subscription for the year and save 35% of the cost. An annual subscription gives you the latest database version plus two further updates at fpour monthly intervals
  • subscriptions can be for either database version, for regional or any other groupings

 

  

We are confident that our database dwarfs rival lists of Games Developers, Aggregator-Distributors, Publishers and Portals (for all platform types) by a considerable margin. Unlike a number of other lists, which are essentially reactive in nature (relying on website traffic to capture visiting company details), our database has been developed proactively, assessing and including companies from an extensive array of online and offline sources. Our proactive approach also means that our list does not include a high proportion of defunct companies - a problem which plagues many other lists.

Every enterprise has been positively web-checked to:-

(a) confirm the enterprise is actively trading
(b) collect further information
(c) ensure that our assessment of the core business is accurate

All of the potential entries have been cross-checked to avoid duplication and clarify ownership patterns. Furthermore, in the case of any enterprises which had data missing from their Website we subsequently contacted many of them directly (by phone or email) in order to confirm and add to the details we had already collected.
 

Content

 

The database is available in two versions:

The Essential Contacts database
and
The Full Profiles database

The Essential Contacts database covers the following information which we have attempted to collect for each enterprise:

  • The Trading Name
  • The Enterprise URL
  • The Country in which it is based
  • The HO Email Address
  • The HO Telephone Number
  • The HO Fax Number
  • The HO Postal Address
  • The Name of the most Senior Executive
  • The Job Title of the most Senior Executive
  • The Name of a second Senior Executive
  • The Job Title of a second Senior Executive
  • The email address of a second senior Executive
  • The Name of the Parent Company, if applicable
  • The Parent Company's URL
  • The Country in which the Parent is headquartered
  • Activities carried out - Developer, Aggregator-Distributors, Publisher plus Portal Codes: Mobile Network Operator, Mobile Virtual Network Operator, Direct to Consumer, Other
  • Enterprise Types
    HO:     Head Office, SHO: Subsidiary Head Office, IS: Independent Subsidiary (part of a larger group, but retaining its own trading identity), RB: Regional Branch, BD: Business Division, I: Independent, CP: Country Portal (A country specific portal, but operated by the Head Office only)

The Full Profiles version covers all the types of information included in the The Essential Contacts database, plus the following data:

  • Platform Types & Operating Systems
    Java/J2ME, Other Java Variants, BREW Variants, Symbian Variants, Windows CE Variants, Blackberry (RIM), i-Mode / DoJa, Palm Variants, Flash Lite, SMS / MMS, Open Source, Others
  • Advanced Mobile Games Specialisms
    3D Games, Location Based Gaming, Online / Connected Gaming, Motion Sensing Gaming,
    Community based Games,
    Advergaming / Ad-funded / Ad-supported Mobile Games, Multiplayer Games, Mobile Gambling, Other (eg Bluetooth Games etc)
  • Date Enterprise / Division Created
  • Date Mobile Games Activity Started
  • Stock Market Details: whether listed as a public company and on which exchange

See prices and how to buy

Add your Company to this Database

If your company is a newly formed start-up, or has recently changed its status (having merged with another company, been acquired by another company or changed its trading name), then please submit your details to us. There is no charge and it means that your company will potentially benefit from wider market place exposure.

What exactly are DAPPs?

The database focuses on the following enterprise types (collectively defined as DAPPs – Developers, Aggregator-Distributors, Publishers, Portals):

(a) Mobile Games Developers
These are creators of games for mobile handsets. Such games can either be downloaded onto mobile handsets or embedded into the hardware at the point of manufacture. To begin with most Mobile Games Developers were independent start-ups. However, in recent years they have increasingly included a number of mainstream console/handheld device/PC games developers, who have since established or acquired mobile games development arms to exploit the market's burgeoning commercial opportunities. Mobile Games Developers often specialise in terms of the platforms that they support, with the majority creating mobile games, using the Java/J2ME, BREW, Symbian and Windows CE ( Mobile ) platforms.

There are a number of enterprises which have also developed utility/applications software for mobile phones, but unless they have developed at least one game they have been excluded from the database. We have set no limit on enterprise size, so developing one game is sufficient qualification for inclusion in our database.

(b) Mobile Games Content Aggregator-Distributors
As their name suggests Mobile Games Aggregator-Distributors assemble/gather mobile content (games, as well as ringtones, wallpapers, graphics, music tracks etc) from a variety of developmental sources. Much of the content is sourced from those enterprises that do not have the necessary scale to promote their content independently and effectively. They provide ready and relatively easy access to consumers, Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and even handset manufacturers. They also assist in promoting games from their consumer facing portals. The role of this group is increasingly overlapping with that of the Mobile Games Publisher (see next). A prime example of a Mobile Games Aggregator-Distributor is Handango.

(c) Mobile Games Publishers
Mobile Games Publishers invariably distribute, promote and publish mobile games on behalf of the smaller players in the development community, helping them to gain access to channels (Mobile Network Operators, Content Aggregators and even handset manufacturers for embedded solutions) otherwise denied to them. By using publishers small developers can readily achieve a sense of scale, helping them to gain exposure and generate sales in the Mobile Games market. Where developers claim to publish their own games, and we can see evidence of this, we have taken this as a correct assessment.

(d) Mobile Games Portals
We identified four classes of Portal in the mobile games space:

  • MNO Portals
    Most of the major Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) such as Vodafone, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, NTT DoCoMo and Orange have created web portals (Vodafone live!, t-zones, Get It Now!, Orange World), which provide access to a wide repertoire of mobile content. Such sites often list hundreds of mobile games, available for download.
  • MVNO Portals
    A number of MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) also offer games for download from their portals. Virgin Mobile's MVNO portal (BITES) is a prime example. The sites in question are often mere shadows of those operated by the major MNOs (Mobile Network Operators). Nevertheless these sites have been classified as portals, although we readily acknowledge that they do not always possess all the full characteristics of fully fledged portals.
  • D2C Portals
    The last three years have seen a proliferation in the number of independent, third party D2C portals (also known as ‘Off-Deck' portals) which offer access to an even wider repertoire of software than their MNO and MVNO counterparts. D2C portals have flourished partly because MNOs do not have the necessary resources to vet all the available software. There are really two approaches to the running of D2C portals - enterprises which operate one-off sites and larger enterprises running mutli-country sites which can cover and are dedicated (by langauge and offering) to 20, 30 or more countries. Prime examples of this latter grouping include Jamba! / Jamster (News Corp), Zed (La Netro Zed) and Blinko / Bippie (Buongiorno).
  • Other Portals
    This residual group of Mobile Games Portal invariably provides reviews and ratings of individual mobile games, industry news and bulletin boards. However, these sites do not offer transactional capabilities, unlike the three other classes of mobile games portals. A good example is IGN Entertainment.

NB – It should be noted that the ways in which some enterprises have classified their core activities in the mobile games space are notoriously inconsistent. Throughout we have made our own classifications, according to the above principles, and have not always taken self-assessments at face value

Multiple Roles   Parent Company

Some Mobile Games enterprises operate on a number of levels. For instance, many Developers are also Publishers in their own right. Some also sell games directly from their sites, effectively making them Etailers. Others have gone so far as to create Mobile Games Portals, Forums, Community sites and Weblogs. In our database we have coded, wherever possible, an enterprise's core activities.

   Whilst the majority of Mobile Games enterprises covered are independent and privately owned, an increasing number are now owned or operated by larger commercial concerns. Here we have made every effort to accurately record the name of the parent company, although once again the reader is reminded that changes in a company's trading status can happen overnight.

 

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© the Multimedia Research Consultancy 2008
Global Database of Mobile Games Developers, Aggregator-Distributors, Publishers and Portals