The trend and factors shaping the future of mobile gaming

Statistics released at the end of last year show just how much mobile gaming is growing. In 2017, mobile gaming made up an enormous 43% of the total revenue generated by the games industry across the world. That 43% added up to $50.4bn of revenue, with smartphone gaming making up $39.1bn and tablet gaming $11.4bn. That is a lot of money and something that everyone should be taking notice of. Wales is also a part of this, with games developers popping up all over the country, from Cardiff to Pwllheli. What is essential, however, is to keep an eye on the future: what trends are shaping the future of mobile gaming?

Everyone can be a mobile gamer

In comparison to consoles and even PCs, the number of people who own a smartphone is absolutely enormous. This gives every mobile game, depending on which operating system it’s on, huge potential in terms of its player base. With that in mind, mobile game developers are freer to develop niche titles, because large numbers of gamers of all kinds have mobiles.

Gambling and casino games

Because you always have your mobile on you, when you’re out and about and when sports are on, mobile is quickly becoming the home of betting and gambling. Stakers.com is a great option for online casino and betting. Mobile means that you always have the option to make a bet, and developers have taken notice of this.

Free-to-play and free-to-start

As mobile gamers are generally more casual gamers, they are less likely to pay money up front for a game that they might not even like. This means that we are now seeing a shift in focus to free-to-play and free-to-start games, where you can play the game for free and then make in-app purchases for more content. Some games are using a combination of real cash purchases and slowly accrued money that you get by spending time in-game.

Competitive eSports

The eSports industry has grown significantly over the past couple of years, generating over $465m in revenue in 2017 alone. Mobile is being seen as the key to pushing eSports into the mainstream as PC and console hardware cost hundreds of pounds. It’s not just the development of new mobile eSports games but also the spectator potential of mobile that could have a huge impact. Specialist eSports apps could allow you to watch and make bets wherever you are.

VR and AR

Virtual reality is becoming more affordable, but it is still out of the price range of lots of people. Mobile VR is offering a similar experience at a much lower price, so the potential for interest here from consumers could be enormous. Augmented reality is something that is very suitable for mobile, and Pokémon GO has shown that there is a huge appetite for games with AR functionality. 

Conclusion

As you can see, there are several trends and factors shaping the future of mobile gaming. The incredible growth of mobile gaming over the last few years means that what happens in here will affect the games industry as a whole, including the one in Wales, and smartphones generally.

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