MocoNews has word of some new reports claiming the Mobile Games industry will be worth a whole lot more than it is now in a few years, although as usual the figures being quoted vary quite wildly. Leading off, Global Industry Analysts are predicting the mobile games market will top $20 billion by 2010.

Earlier this month Gartner predicted that the global mobile games market would hit $9.6 billion by 2011, and yesterday iSuppli predicted the total mobile content market would hit $44 billion by 2011.

GIA thinks that java-based games, 3D games and Bluetooth games are gaining audience, and that new delivery models will improve access to users. "Globally, Europe is the largest wireless gaming market and is estimated to account for about 43 percent share of the global market by the year 2007. Rest of World comprising Canada, Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and Latin American regions is projected to be the fastest growing wireless gaming market, with a compounded annual rate of about 77 percent during the ten-year analysis period."

Trying to work out the true size of the potential mobile games market is extremely difficult, as it always depends on who you talk to, and often when you talk to them. When you compare industry trends, sometimes it seems like the games market is dying off as less people spend money on subscription-based services, whilst at the same time more traditional games developers are moving into the mobile space with well know brands, often licensing these games to carriers rather than through subscription or single sale portals.

Regardless I think we can safely say that the market for mobile games is still currently quite bouyant. I'm not sure I'd agree that it will be worth $20 billion within 3 years, but it will certainly retain strong growth over the next few years.