Games are driving a growth explosion for Google Play

As Google Play begins to close the revenue gap with iOS, analytics firm App Annie reports that games are now driving nearly all of the revenue growth on the Google Play store. Revenue from iOS games and apps is still 60 percent higher than revenue from Google Play, says the new report, but that gap is closing slowly but surely. Notably, overall downloads of games and apps on Google Play were 60 percent higher than on the iOS App Store during the last quarter -- this compares to 25 percent higher year-over-year, so clearly Google Play's download figures are pulling away from iOS at a rapid rate. App Annie says that the majority of this growth is being led by game downloads. Games have been the main driving force on Google Play for a while now, but the last quarter in particular saw this growth explode. In the U.S. and South Korea, for example, games were responsible for nearly all of Google Play's third quarter revenue growth, says App Annie. Strategy games like Game of War, Boom Beach and Clash of Clans are leading the charge. While Brazil and India continue to show remarkable growth as emerging markets, App Annie notes that Indonesia is showing itself as the new emerging market to get involved with, as the country's Google Play download numbers have been rapidly expanding for the last two years. "On top of being the world’s fourth most populous country, Indonesia has a young population and a growing middle class," suggests the report. "These factors combined with the rollout of 4G networks and increased attention from handset manufacturers make Indonesia a country to watch."