Predominently well-known PC games, fun applications and brain games occupy the top spots in the rankings. Otherwise, games entering the market in connection with particular events were the only other category that reached the highest positions.
For example, official and unofficial games related to the European Football Championships and the summer Olympics in Beijing were among the most successful titles. Games based on blockbuster films are also downloaded frequently, particularly during the two to three-week period following a film release in cinemas.

At EUR 4.30 to EUR 4.80, prices for these kinds of games are at the higher end of the mobile downloads spectrum. By way of comparison, users pay an average of EUR 1.31 for a title from the music segment and EUR 1.67 for a mobile ring tone. Prices remain quite constant and there has been no price erosion so far in 2009.

UMTS mobile phones are primarily used for the downloads; only 40% are carried out on GSM mobiles. It is standard for displays used for this purpose to comprise at least 262,144 different colors, with just under 90% of all mobiles used having this feature. In terms of screens used, players tend to prefer devices with comparatively long diagonal measurements. 57% of gamers use mobiles with screen diagonals of 2 to 2.5 inches and a further 8% download games via phones with 2.5 inch screens or larger. It is therefore clear that players of mobile phone games attach importance to using equipment of the highest technological standards.

The survey

These findings have been taken from the GfK m2 retail panel, which is based on the weekly sales figures for download portals (network operators, content providers). GfK m2 has been providing this weekly survey and further analyses on the subject of mobile content since 2008.