Anyone into gaming will know that mobiles have become the default platform for modern casual players. According to statistics, mobile gaming revenue surpassed PC profits in 2016 and that fact was made even more pronounced in 2017. Following the publication of Newzoo’s Global Games Market Report, we found out that mobile games now account for 42 percent of the market. However, the most interesting suggestion from the researchers is that 2020 will see mobile gaming claim 50 percent markets share. While recent trends would suggest this is as a given, nothing should be taken for granted in a world where technology and attitudes can change in a heartbeat.
A Market on the Move
The market for mobile games is clearly stronger than it’s ever been.
The market for mobile games is clearly stronger than it’s ever been. What started with Angry Birds and Candy Crush has now developed into a multifaceted market that’s filled with games of all shapes and sizes. In 2018, the big hit is the royal rumble dust-up known as Fortnite. Despite its home being on PC and consoles, the Epic Games product has become the biggest earning iPhone game in recent times. As per Statista’s data, the game was banking $1,921,807 in daily revenue in April 2018. Part of the game’s appeal is its ability to cram a ton of action into a single product.
Just as Fortnite and its peers have broken new ground in terms of graphics, mobile casino games have brought more depth to the medium. As well as interesting graphics, casino games have been endowed with prize potential. Described by the experts at realmoney.ca, everything from blackjack to slots can now be played online for real money. In other words, mobile games are now appealing on two levels. As well as the inherent excitement of the games themselves, you also have the added ability to get something back for your time. In a nutshell, modern mobile games are more complex than the used to be and this, in turn, has made them more appealing. Indeed, if we go back 21 years, this point becomes even more obvious, when we compare today’s products with Nokia’s Snake. Programmed by Taneli Armanto, the game was an instant hit, despite being as basic as Pong was when it came out in 1972.
Tech Has Taken Gaming on the Go to a New Level
Remember when we used to play snake on monochrome display? The reason we’ve referenced Snake is that of how different it is to Fortnite and its peers.
Image credit: kami Rao via Flickr / CC BY 2.0
The reason we’ve referenced Snake is that of how different it is to Fortnite and its peers. Yes, the game was released before the first “smartphones” went on sale in the early noughties, but the difference in detail and design is startling. Put simply, in the space of just two decades, the most popular mobile game when from a moving monochrome line designed to represent a snake to HD Battle Royale featuring multilayered environments and characters. If mobile games can change this much in a relatively short period of time, what will happen in the next two decades? Well, the changes are likely to be just as dramatic which, in turn, is why industry insiders believe that mobile gaming will continue to dominate the market.
If we look towards the future, augmented reality looks poised to change mobile gaming again. Pokémon Go gave us the first taste of what’s possible, but this is likely to be the tip of a very large iceberg. Just as Snake now looks basic, today’s top titles will pale in comparison to the next generation of games. We already know that fusing the real world with onscreen images is possible, but what’s next? How deep can these connections really go? Whether it’s using our mobiles to turn our living room into an alien world or connecting with real people via a virtual medium, the possibilities are intriguing. As new technology emerges, the way we play is going to change and that means the market is going to grow. Quite how much of the market mobile gaming can consume is unclear. However, what’s obvious at this point is that gaming on the go is better than it’s ever been.
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