Factors Behind the Growth of Mobile Gaming
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Sep 10 2020, 7:09 AM
Over the past few years, mobile gaming has reached new, unprecedented heights. This is evident from the sector’s rise from a financial standpoint. As per a report by TechCrunch, mobile gaming is now a $68.5 billion market that is subject to widespread investment. Aside from the undeniable convenience of smartphone entertainment, numerous technological advancements have been at the heart of the industry's recent success. So, let’s take a look at the technology that’s taking at the heart of mobile gaming’s rise to prominence.
Ability to Implement Contemporary Advancements
Fundamentally, the reason that the global gaming industry is able to retain consumer interests is because of its forward-thinking approach to development. Although this is evident within the specifications of newly-released mobiles, the direction in which gaming genres have gone in is a testament to the sector’s embrace of modern-day technology. Over the last decade, smartphone title developers have sought to integrate immersive advancements into their titles, and this is most evident regarding augmented reality.
Although AR productions have been released across traditional consoles, their appeal hasn’t reached the same heights as mobile alternatives. Back in 2016, Niantic unveiled their record-breaking title, Pokemon Go. While this wasn’t the first mobile game that utilized AR technology, it undoubtedly took the advancement to the mainstream, showcasing how it could work within the smartphone gaming industry. According to Guinness World Records, Pokemon Go set five records just one month into its release. Interestingly, one of the records was achieving the highest revenue generated by a mobile game in the first month - $206.5 million.
Source: PickPik
Since Pokemon Go, augmented reality has been central to a wide array of mobile publications, including Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, Jurassic World Alive, and The Walking Dead: Our World. Crucially, these immersive, real-world experiences have helped to grow the popularity of mobile gaming.
The Early Impact of Third-Party Developers
From an iOS standpoint, Apple’s extensive gaming library can be somewhat attributed to the release of the iOS Software Development Kit in March 2008. Prior to this, third-party developers were only able to focus on making Safari-compatible services. However, the decision to make the iOS SDK available to development companies undoubtedly proved to be the initial catalyst behind the rise of mobile gaming throughout the late 2000s and early 2010s.
Regarding the difference that the release of this software had on product availability, in June 2008, just a few months after iOS SDK became readily available, there were 500 third-party apps on the App Store, as per Cult of Mac. Moreover, of those developments, 25 percent of them were free for consumers to download. Since then, this free-to-play strategy is still utilized, with popular games like Asphalt 9: Legends and Beach Buggy Racing 2 being available without charge.
Optimization
Furthermore, in addition to the above factors, smartphone optimization has been pivotal to mobile gaming being able to compete with consoles. Over the last few years, some of the most popular PS4 and Xbox One games have been optimized for smartphones, allowing remote gamers to enjoy sought-after releases. For example, both Fortnite and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds are both now available on Android and iOS phones. Because of this, the mobile industry has since been able to expand its eSports sector. At present, this is because PUBG – which is in line for a $2 million competitive gaming tournament - is one of the platform’s leading titles for eSports.
Source: Pexels
Along with traditional genres, optimization is also evident across diverse markets, such as online casinos. Operators like Royal Panda, for example, have recently focused on making their platform mobile-friendly. In turn, Royal Panda, a popular slots casino, has been able to take many of their graphically-enhanced, themed games to the smartphone market. As well as highly-regarded titles, such as Book of Dead, prospective players can also enjoy Irish Pot Luck and Lamp of Aladdin, along with many other titles, from their mobile.
An Industry That’s on the Rise
While there is still a place for console gaming, it’s clear that the mobile sector’s forward-thinking focus is helping it to stay ahead of the curve. Ultimately, smartphone advancements are typically centered around ensuring more immersion and variety across gaming experiences. As a result, there’s scope for the sector to continue dominating for much of the next decade.
Over the past few years, mobile gaming has reached new, unprecedented heights. This is evident from the sector’s rise from a financial standpoint. As per a report by TechCrunch, mobile gaming is now a $68.5 billion market that is subject to widespread investment. Aside from the undeniable convenience of smartphone entertainment, numerous technological advancements have been at the heart of the industry's recent success. So, let’s take a look at the technology that’s taking at the heart of mobile gaming’s rise to prominence.
Ability to Implement Contemporary Advancements
Fundamentally, the reason that the global gaming industry is able to retain consumer interests is because of its forward-thinking approach to development. Although this is evident within the specifications of newly-released mobiles, the direction in which gaming genres have gone in is a testament to the sector’s embrace of modern-day technology. Over the last decade, smartphone title developers have sought to integrate immersive advancements into their titles, and this is most evident regarding augmented reality.
Although AR productions have been released across traditional consoles, their appeal hasn’t reached the same heights as mobile alternatives. Back in 2016, Niantic unveiled their record-breaking title, Pokemon Go. While this wasn’t the first mobile game that utilized AR technology, it undoubtedly took the advancement to the mainstream, showcasing how it could work within the smartphone gaming industry. According to Guinness World Records, Pokemon Go set five records just one month into its release. Interestingly, one of the records was achieving the highest revenue generated by a mobile game in the first month - $206.5 million.
Source: PickPik
Since Pokemon Go, augmented reality has been central to a wide array of mobile publications, including Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, Jurassic World Alive, and The Walking Dead: Our World. Crucially, these immersive, real-world experiences have helped to grow the popularity of mobile gaming.
The Early Impact of Third-Party Developers
From an iOS standpoint, Apple’s extensive gaming library can be somewhat attributed to the release of the iOS Software Development Kit in March 2008. Prior to this, third-party developers were only able to focus on making Safari-compatible services. However, the decision to make the iOS SDK available to development companies undoubtedly proved to be the initial catalyst behind the rise of mobile gaming throughout the late 2000s and early 2010s.
Regarding the difference that the release of this software had on product availability, in June 2008, just a few months after iOS SDK became readily available, there were 500 third-party apps on the App Store, as per Cult of Mac. Moreover, of those developments, 25 percent of them were free for consumers to download. Since then, this free-to-play strategy is still utilized, with popular games like Asphalt 9: Legends and Beach Buggy Racing 2 being available without charge.
Optimization
Furthermore, in addition to the above factors, smartphone optimization has been pivotal to mobile gaming being able to compete with consoles. Over the last few years, some of the most popular PS4 and Xbox One games have been optimized for smartphones, allowing remote gamers to enjoy sought-after releases. For example, both Fortnite and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds are both now available on Android and iOS phones. Because of this, the mobile industry has since been able to expand its eSports sector. At present, this is because PUBG – which is in line for a $2 million competitive gaming tournament - is one of the platform’s leading titles for eSports.
Source: Pexels
Along with traditional genres, optimization is also evident across diverse markets, such as online casinos. Operators like Royal Panda, for example, have recently focused on making their platform mobile-friendly. In turn, Royal Panda, a popular slots casino, has been able to take many of their graphically-enhanced, themed games to the smartphone market. As well as highly-regarded titles, such as Book of Dead, prospective players can also enjoy Irish Pot Luck and Lamp of Aladdin, along with many other titles, from their mobile.
An Industry That’s on the Rise
While there is still a place for console gaming, it’s clear that the mobile sector’s forward-thinking focus is helping it to stay ahead of the curve. Ultimately, smartphone advancements are typically centered around ensuring more immersion and variety across gaming experiences. As a result, there’s scope for the sector to continue dominating for much of the next decade.
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