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Mobile has evolved from a niche segment in the gaming market to an industry juggernaut offering the freshest and most existing experiences available and appealing to adults of all ages and income levels. Of the three billion people with smartphones globally, two billion say they regularly play games on them.
In what was once a western, male-dominated pastime, mobile has broken down barriers and enabled developers to reach new demographics. Data from ISFE shows that more than half of all mobile and tablet players in Europe are women, while in India, players enjoying free-to-play games on mobile will create a $5bn industry in that country alone by 2025.
The mobile gaming revolution has even prompted The Washington Post to urge its readers to “forget” about next-gen consoles as the “biggest gaming platform” is already available in people’s pockets. This is a viewpoint that is gaining a lot of support from the mainstream media, which is a sign of how far mobile gaming has come during the last decade and its ability to take PCs and consoles head-on.
Revenue
Revenue from the global games market backs up that theory too. Gaming audiences have responded emphatically that they love playing games on mobile devices. The State of Mobile 2022 report expects revenue from smartphone gaming to soar to $116bn this year, which beats out the number for PC and console, which generated around $85bn last year.
Mobile already accounts for 52% of all revenue, compared to 28% on consoles. Developers are now fully aware that to drive the most sales and generate profits, creating games for smaller devices is critical. Even bigger companies in the console space who shunned mobile in the past now want to bring their best franchises to smartphones.
“Over the years, there have been a number of significant deals by Triple-A console companies to get a foot in the mobile market,” Sensor Tower insights strategist, Craig Chapple says. “Far from just offering small, casual titles, the mobile games market now caters for all tastes with titles that are regularly updated to keep players engaged for years.”
Publishers have also been able to experiment with new monetizing systems to create this revenue. One-off purchases to play a title have been replaced by free titles that include in-app purchases, advertisements, battle passes and brand sponsorships. This increases revenue-making opportunities significantly over time and keeps players coming back for more.
Wider audiences
The potential for significant revenue is difficult to overlook when combined with the fact that mobile gaming now has the largest addressable audience globally. As already noted, billions of people are playing games on their phones. This is partly due to the fact that they can buy new titles on a device they use regularly for calls, texts and internet browsing. This differs from PC and consoles where players have to buy a separate device to access new games.
With the average user unlocking their smartphone 70 times per day, developers know that there is an audience ready and willing to play games, whether they are at home, at work or enjoying their free time.
Mobile devices fit seamlessly into people’s lives and gaming can be a part of that. A quick look at the NetEnt games list highlights the vast number of titles someone can play for free, even when they only have five or 10 minutes here and there to game.
Brand building
The allure of mobile games has even extended to traditional console-only publishers like Sony, who previously focused entirely on gaming experiences on its PlayStation consoles. Recent reports claim the company is now very interested in adapting its most popular franchises for pocket-sized screens, with WipEout Rush expected to be one of the first titles it will release in 2022.
The latest entry in the sci-fi racing series is being created by mobile developer Rogue Games and will be a “fresh take on the formula” with “some fun new play mechanics” designed specifically for smartphones. In addition to potential revenue, developers also see mobile as a way to give new life to existing franchises. This is likely to lead to more innovative and compelling experiences on smartphones in the years to come.
Mighty Bear Games CEO, Simon David believes this will soon create a “mobile-first” development environment with creators looking to “modify or upscale” versions of mobile games for desktop and PC. He says getting the mobile experience just right will ensure that it plays “beautifully on everything else”. With revenue and audiences being the biggest for smartphones, it’s easy to see this prediction becoming a reality in the years to come.
