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As iOS games get bigger, devs might need to fight for hard drive space

The file size for iOS games has seen a dramatic increase over the past few months, and since iOS hard drives aren't getting any bigger, developers may soon find themselves competing even more for that virtual real estate.

Tom Curtis, Blogger

October 16, 2012

1 Min Read
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A new report from analytics firm ABI Research has revealed that the global average file size for iOS games has increased 42 percent in just six months, meaning developers will have to compete even more for hard drive space as games get larger and iOS devices start filling up. According to the report, the average size for a game on iOS was 60MB in September, up from roughly 42MB in March 2012. By comparison, other apps have also grown in size, but to a lesser extent. The average iOS app is 23MB, up 16 percent over that same period. ABI noted that iOS apps saw a particular jump in size in March after Apple increased the cellular download limit for apps from 20MB to 50MB. That more lenient restriction has given developers more freedom to make their games more complex across the board. The only problem is that games are getting larger, but hard drives on iOS devices aren't. If this trend continues, users might start deleting their older apps to make room for new ones, so developers will need to find ways to make sure that players keep their games installed. Until iOS devices begin to offer more storage, mobile developers might want to consider limiting their file sizes to make sure that their app can fit on even the most crowded hard drive.

About the Author

Tom Curtis

Blogger

Tom Curtis is Associate Content Manager for Gamasutra and the UBM TechWeb Game Network. Prior to joining Gamasutra full-time, he served as the site's editorial intern while earning a degree in Media Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.

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