It’s been a long time since Google rebranded the Android Market as Google Play and since then, Google Play has gone from a place with mostly apps and games to a one-stop shop for pretty much whatever content you could want on an Android device; or other devices for that matter. Now, you can get games, books, magazines, movies and an ever-expanding selection of music as well. As such, it’s no wonder that Google Play has been bringing in more and more money for Google over the years. Now, according to the latest report from App Annie, Google Play is making great progress in Europe. Speaking of Germany specifically, Google Play revenue has apparently overtaken that of iOS downloads.
According to App Annie, the Play Store in Germany enjoyed a 150% rise in revenue in 2014, when compared to figures from 2013. While per device spending increased in Germany as well, Europe still remains an Apple stronghold where apps and content are concerned. In the United Kingdom for instance, where Google Play is strongest in Europe, Apple’s iTunes store still remains the top dog in terms of revenue and downloads. No matter though, as it looks like Google Play is gaining ground everywhere and considering that Google is facing tough criticism in Europe over search and Google News, it’s nice to hear that Google Play is at least doing well.
Games and in-app purchases drove much of the revenue over the past 12 months, and this is a trend that’s likely to continue. As big developers like EA and co move to a system where players download the game for free and if they continue to play the game over a long period of time, then the game developer earns a steady revenue stream. It’s certainly nice to see the Play Store continue to do well in Europe, and hopefully this means that the offerings from Google will only continue to expand to those across the Atlantic.