Digital Chocolate
Digital Chocolate Why It's Fierce: We're seeing some intense competition and consolidation in the mobile gaming market, making it harder for independent mobile gaming companies to make a buck. But Digital Chocolate is tasting some sweet success. Founded three years ago by gaming veteran CEO Trip Hawkins--the same Trip Hawkins who founded Electronic Arts, which recently bought Jamdat for an entrance into the mobile market--Digital Chocolate provides games to more than 200 operators in 60 countries and is in the lead when it comes to mobile game playability, according to reviews from industry-respected game reviewers GameSpot.com and IGN.com. It has increased its deck share (as measured by the number of times its games appear on top operators) to a top 5 publisher across the Americas. Digital Chocolate's two main differentiators: It doesn't license TV, retro gaming or current gaming properties from other platforms, and it builds for mobile platforms only. What to look for: Digital Chocolate is taking the lead when it comes to the idea of socially connected games. Game purchases are beginning to slow, but Digital Chocolate is aiming to raise ARPU from games that allow members to compete, interact and stay connected--and spend more on the network. |