Game Rush: Mobclix And PlayHaven Predict Record iPhone Game Downloads During The Holidays

Between the presents, family time and the eggnog, iPhone users will be hitting their device for competitive entertainment, says gaming community platform PlayHaven and mobile ad exchange Mobclix. According to data released today, the two companies predict that iPhone game usage is likely to set record in the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, called a “Game Rush,” with usage 28 times greater than the same weekly period last year.

PlayHaven says as the number of games on the App Store increases (there are currently more than 15,000 games available), consumers can turn to their iPhone for entertainment vs. consoles. PlayHaven also predicted that in the coming year, discovery of games and applications is increasingly going to originate outside the App Store. By the end of 2010, PlayHaven’s founder and CEO, Raymond Lau, said up to 25 percent of iPhone app purchases may originate at some location other than iTunes or the App Store as companies like PlayHaven seek to capitalize on the increasing complexity of app discovery in a universe of more than 125,000 titles.

Lau may be right. More and more app directories have emerged to help users make sense of the 100,000 plus Apps on the App store. Appolicious, mPlayit, Chorus, Sidebar, and many others not only provide customized recommendations for your application tastes and interests, but also lead users directly to the App Store to purchase and or download the apps. Many of these directories also allow you to share your apps on Twitter and Facebook.

Mobclix and PlayHaven’s “Game Rush” forecast is based on analysis from Mobclix’s mobile ad exchange. Mobclix used historical app download data and calculated a projection based on the increased number of Apple mobile devices sold during the year.