• January 30, 2009

Growing use of smartphones is propelling mobile gaming, according to comScore. The number of subscribers downloading a mobile game in the U.S. increased 17% in November 2008 from a year ago to 8.5 million. Downloads on smartphones more than tripled, while those on feature phones dropped 14%.

"The rapid growth in smartphone adoption in the United States has provided a boost for mobile gaming, as 34% of those downloading a game in November did so using a smartphone," said Mark Donovan, senior analyst, comScore, in a statement Friday. He noted that six out of the top 10 devices used for mobile downloads are now smartphones, compared to none last year.

The iPhone and BlackBerry Curve have replaced the Razr and low-end flip phones as the mobile devices of choice for gaming. Teens ditching gaming-specific devices for smartphones have especially helped fuel the growth of gaming on mobile phones. Overall, 3.8% of mobile users downloaded a game in November, while 20.5 million, or 8.9%, played a downloaded game.--Mark Walsh