In the ever-evolving landscape of digital entertainment, mobile gaming has emerged as a cultural phenomenon, captivating audiences worldwide with its convenience, accessibility, and innovative gameplay experiences. From humble beginnings as simple diversions on early mobile devices, mobile games have transformed into a thriving industry, redefining the way we perceive and engage with interactive entertainment.
We have truly come a long way since the inception of the industry in the 1990s and 2000s, experiencing incredible technological advancements that skyrocketed the capabilities of mobile phones and allowed passionate developers to push boundaries that were once not even attainable on desktops or traditional platforms.
With some fascinating statistics, such as over 65% of total internet traffic being mobile and the overall usage rate growth, it would be informative to take a closer look at how the gaming industry has shifted and evolved and what state it ended up in as a result.
Online Casinos
Perhaps not what one immediately thinks about when mentioning online gaming, but gambling is indeed a big subset of the overall gaming industry, so let us discuss it before moving on to traditional video games.
According to web vs mobile numbers, the split between mobile and web online casino players is 65% to 35% in favor of the former. Considering how, via those same numbers and research, this gap is only projected to grow, the future of mobile gaming in this specific subsector is looking brighter than ever.
We can speculate all day on what specific variables are causing this success, but most seem to agree that the accessibility and the overall convenience of mobile platforms play a huge role in it. In addition, the developers often implement changes to specific beloved games to appeal to some subsets of their player base.
In our case, that subset is mainly the mobile players, so a good example of a relevant game is video poker online. This format of the classic game works well on mobile due to several factors. Mainly, it is a game played online, as it is a casino game based on five-card draw poker, played on a computerized console similar to a slot machine. This makes it well-suited for an application specifically designed to enhance the user experience on alternative devices.
A huge part of what makes video poker so well-suited to mobile platforms is its ability to deliver an exciting poker experience in a streamlined, quick-paced digital format. Players get the rush of trying to assemble the best possible poker hand, but through straightforward touch controls on their device’s screen.
Developers can make this subset of gambling and the target demographic even more specific, and they have done so in the past by implementing a crypto video poker format, in which, as the name would imply, the player would enjoy an additional deposit option of cryptocurrencies – within the traditional video poker game format. This would ensure faster withdrawals and deposits for users, along with lower fees, as compared to traditional banking services.
Moreover, playing video poker using crypto would increase player anonymity, as currencies like Bitcoin are decentralized, meaning there’s no governing authority.
Ultimately, the point of this is that due to the rising, highlighted popularity of mobile platforms; we are seeing more specialized games that, yes, suit multiple platforms but work best specifically on phones and applications. This does not just stop at games, though, as some casinos are pushing in the direction of mobile platforms and want to promote themselves mainly to that player base by offering specialized bonuses and exclusive features to players utilizing said platforms.
The Video Game Industry on Mobile
Moving back to traditional video games, the true turning point for mobile gaming came with the advent of smartphones and the introduction of app stores. The iOS App Store and Google’s Play Store revolutionized the distribution and accessibility of mobile games, allowing developers to reach a vast global audience with just a few taps.
Observing the data, it certainly has managed to reach that audience, as even individual mobile games have generated billions of dollars of revenue globally, with the top 5 being well above the 10 billion USD mark. Those five games, in order at the time of writing, are Honor of Kings, Candy Crush, PUBG Mobile, Monster Strike, and Clash of Clans, which are crafted exclusively for mobile devices.
Even with just these five, we see a very diverse selection of genres, highlighting the power of the mobile platform. The number one, Honor of Kings, is a MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena), which captured a large global audience through a wide selection of characters and the demand for skillful, strategic, cooperative play.
Some of the biggest MOBAs across the scene as a whole, when looking past just mobile, are League of Legends, Dota 2, Smite, and many more, in case Honor of Kings does not ring a bell.
What will most likely ring a bell though, is Candy Crush, a simple, yet highly popular and successful puzzle game. We will notice a pattern amongst all of the listed games, and that is that they are all free, making their money through micro-transactions and in-game advertisements.
Continuing this pattern is PUBG Mobile, a more complex game than Candy Crush, offering a large map, random loot, and the simple objective of being the last man standing in a very hostile lobby. Essentially, a shooter Battle Royale.
Monster Strike, on the other hand, is a Japanese-developed game with puzzle elements, and similarly to some other listed games, it involves strategy and cooperative multiplayer.
Lastly, we have Clash of Clans closing out the list. A game all about strategy and patience. The creators put the player in a medieval fantasy setting, in which they have to defend their territory and help it thrive by acquiring resources, mainly through conquest and raids on other player lands.
Of course, these listed games are far from the only highly profitable ones out there today in the mobile market. To put things into perspective, even games that barely miss the top 10, such as Genshin Impact, are multi-billion dollar revenue games.
However, even the five games that were listed are enough to highlight the diversity of genres that the platform can offer and the success that each of these genres is capable of achieving, upon proper utilization from developers.
