The most casual gamers have always associated the word “gaming” with consoles and controllers. The statistics, though, now suggest otherwise. According to a report by Newzoo, a market leader in gaming research, the mobile gaming industry accounted for 42% of the total global market in 2017, likely to reach a figure of 50% market share by 2020, with a forecasted growth to $128 billion over the next couple of years. Another report by Mediakix says that in 2018, the global gaming market will be worth $115 billion, of which the mobile gaming sector will account for more than $50 billion. So, what has caused this transition?

Growth in Mobile Gaming

We can credit the changing consumer demographics for the growth in mobile gaming. Today, there are far more casual gamers than those who own consoles at home. With the surge in the adoption and use of smartphones, it is becoming easier for people to just carry a game in their pockets and use it for some stress busting. There are countless people spending their commuting time or taking a break at work to play Candy Crush on their mobile phones. It is not surprising, therefore, that mobile gaming has found popularity among both men and women, with 51% of men and 49% women playing such games.

The expansion of the mobile gaming market can also be credited to the ease of development, using low-code technology and pre-existing programming frameworks, which is increasing the rate at which games are made and marketed, according to Venture Beat. With specific advancements, such as faster processing speed, high resolution graphics and unlimited data plans, gameplay on mobile devices has become more engaging than ever before.

Trends That Will Define the Future

While augmented reality is slowly going mainstream, virtual reality will still be a favourite amongst gaming enthusiasts. An article on APPLOVIN elaborates that compared to VR platforms, AR has lower hardware requirements, which will make it easy for developers to create AR experiences on mobile devices.

Real-time data analytics will make it easier for developers to make their games more dynamic. According to an article on Mobile Ecosystem Forum, newer tech, based on determinism, is changing the way of multiplayer games, suitable for all age groups, is being developed.

The “freemium” model is by far the most common business model for mobile games. But with its increasing demand, there will be a need for better payment processing solutions, attractive for developers and capable of handling wide-scale payments, without the risk of downtime. Here is where blockchain technology and cryptocurrency will come into the equation.

According to an article on Irish Tech News, gamer specific altcoins will be used for purchasing game subscriptions or in-app items, which will be beneficial for developers, over the traditional modes of payment, due to higher scope of commissions.

Sgame Pro CEO Gip Cutrino says that mobile, being the largest source of gaming revenue, has paved the way for diverse business models, including subscriptions fee, pay-per-play, in-app purchase (IAP), royalty to premium account, upgrade remunerations and advertising in app (ADV).

While the gaming industry has spread across many platforms, mobile gaming is likely to continue to gain popularity. Devices are getting more adept at talking to each other and developer tools are working on diverse platforms.

Meanwhile, leading mobile gaming aggregators like Sgame Pro has united a fragmented ecosystem of game publishers, players, influencers and merchants. The platform encourages player engagement, offers simple and innovative ways for publishers to promote games, integrates a referral system for influencers to monetize their followers and provides merchants a cost-effective way to promote their products online.

With such developments, the rapidly growing mobile gaming industry seems to have an even brighter future.

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