Edible Apple

For a company with a history of being anti-gaming at worst and indifferent at best, Apple has certainly embraced gaming on its line of iOS devices with gusto. Gaming is undeniably a key selling point for devices like the iPad and iPod Touch and developers are reaping the rewards hand over first. Earlier this Summer, for instance, we reported that Infinity Blade from Epic grossed over $1.6 million in revenue just days after the title launched on iTunes. In the following months, the title would go on to net over $10 million in revenue.

But when it comes to gaming, one development company above all others stands out from the pack – EA.

Highlighting the growing importance of mobile gaming, and in particular Apple’s iPad, EA CEO John Riccitello recently spoke to IndustryGamers where he heaped praise upon the iPad.

Consoles used to be 80% of the industry as recently as 2000. Consoles today are 40% of the game industry, so what do we really have?We have a new hardware platform and we’re putting out software every 90 days. Our fastest growing platform is the iPad right now and that didn’t exist 18 months ago.

While consoles are still insanely profitable for developers, mobile platforms are increasingly becoming a more integral part of the long-term strategy for development companies. We’re starting to see more and more gaming-based acquisitions and it was just a few weeks ago that EA announced its acquisition of PopCap for $750 million. PopCap is the company behind some of the more popular mobile games on the market, such as Bejeweled and Plants vs. Zombies. Prior to that, EA acquired Firemint, the Australian-based development company behind popular iOS apps like Flight Control and Real Racing.