by Mobile gaming has become one of the biggest entertainment industries over the past decade. With easy access and seamless gameplay experience, more and more people are now enjoying games on their smartphones. In this article, we will discuss various aspects of the mobile gaming domain including genres, latest trends and future outlook.
History and Growth
The concept of Mobile Gaming began in the late 90s with the arrival of simple games that could be played on basic phones. However, it was the release of iPhone in 2007 that marked the true beginning of mobile gaming revolution. Popular games like Angry Birds and Candy Crush that came afterwards demonstrated the engagement and monetization potential of this platform. Since then mobile gaming has grown exponentially with over 2.5 billion gamers worldwide currently spending an average of 78 minutes per day playing games on their phones according to reports. The industry is estimated to be worth over 100 billion dollars annually making it bigger than movies & music put together.
Popular Genres
While simple casual games continue to be popular, following genres have emerged as dominant categories in the mobile gaming sphere:
Casual Games: Casual games like Candy Crush Saga, Gardenscapes etc remain a favourite among casual gamers who play in short bursts. These games are usually free-to-play with in-app purchases being the main revenue model.
Action Games: Games like Subway Surfers, Temple Run that involve continuous action and gameplay have also proven highly engaging on mobile screens.
Battle Royale Games: Influenced by the mega success of PUBG and Fortnite on PCs and consoles, battle royale games like Free Fire and Call of Duty Mobile have found immense success on phones as well. Their availability at no additional cost makes them a rage globally.
Sports Games: Franchises like FIFA Mobile, NBA 2K, PES Mobile etc based on popular global sports bring authentic simulation to phones at cheap prices. Regular updates keep gamers engaged.
Card & Strategy Games: Games involving puzzles, wit and strategy like Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, Hearthstone etc continue enjoy strong patronage of core as well as casual gamers alike.
Monetization Strategies
With most games being free-to-download, monetization becomes crucial for developers and publishers. Following are some popular monetization strategies pursued:
– In-App Purchases: Extra lives, power-ups, virtual currencies, character/item upgrades boost revenue from impulse buyers.
– Advertisements: Non-intrusive video/banner ads effectively subsidize “free” gameplay for majority.
– Freemium Model: Full featured versions require in-app purchases to unlock levels/features otherwise available via wait periods.
– Season Passes/Battle Passes: Time-bound access to premium content/rewards promotes regular engagement and monetization.
– Esports & Live Operations: Live events, tournaments foster community while continual live updates maintain interest.
Latest Trends in Mobile Gaming
Some key emerging trends that are shaping the future of mobile gaming include:
– Hyper-Casual Games: Games taking less than 30 seconds per play session are gaining momentum on virtue of being extremely snackable and engaging for casual gamers.
– Live Service Games: Games as ongoing service model are doing exceedingly well. Developers regularly release new content/events keeping players continuously engaged.
– Cloud Gaming: Availability of high-end games without heavyweight downloads via cloud services is set to take mobile experience to another level. Partnerships are being formed between cloud providers and game developers worldwide.
– Augmented & Virtual Reality: AR/VR technologies are positioning phones as platforms for truly immersive gaming beyond the 2D realm in coming future. Successful experiments are already demonstrating the potential.
– Southeast Asia: Counties like India, Indonesia are emerging as high growth regions for mobile gaming. Localization of international hits as well as homegrown hits are attractive lucrative developer talent in the region.
– Cross-Platform Play: Facilitating play between phone and PC/console versions of games leverages existing communities while tapping new audiences as well.
To sum up, mobile platform has revolutionized the gaming landscape globally with its ubiquitous reach and afforded on-the-go fun. Going forward also, continuous innovation both in terms of game design as well as enabling technologies would ensure further proliferation of this highly profitable vertical. With 5G and advancements in AR/VR on anvil, the best is yet to come in terms of mobile gaming experiences.
Note:
1. Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
2. We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it
