Metric: Mobile gaming purchases up 53%

After a couple of gloomy reports on the mobile gaming sector, a new one from Telephia found that the mobile gaming industry is "soaring" with wireless consumers buying more than 8.2 million mobile games in March, up 53 percent from 5.4 million in January. Unique buyers also "surged" 44 percent from an estimated 3.5 million in January to 5 million in March. Telephia says its study is the standard for accurate measurement by tracking actual behavior directly from consumer bills. A recent M:Metrics' study and one by the Wireless World Forum tracked downloads of mobile games and insisted the sector was "stagnating."

Like M:Metrics' study, Telephia also ranked the top 10 mobile gaming companies, but its finding was slightly different from its competitor. EA Mobile, I-Play, Gameloft, Namco, Hands-On Mobile, Glu Mobile, THQ Wireless, Oasys Mobile, Sony Pictures Mobile and Mobliss were the top 10 revenue generators. This group raked in 75 percent of mobile game industry revenue during the first quarter. Digital Chocolate and Konami were boxed out of Telephia's list by Sony and Mobliss. No. 2 I-Play was also lower on the totem pole by M:Metrics' count.

For more on Telephia's rosy mobile gaming outlook:
- take a look at this press release