Alibaba sees promise in the mobile space
Alibaba, China’s largest retail organization akin to eBay and Amazon, has announced that it plans to break into the world of mobile games. China has become one of the most promising markets for mobile gaming, partly due to the rapid growth of smartphone and tablet ownership. Alibaba has been seeing a major rise in the potential of the mobile space and is not keen to be left behind by its competitors.
Tencent and Alibaba may clash on mobile games
Alibaba is currently working to develop its own mobile gaming platform. This move likely comes as a response to Tencent’s efforts to make its gratuitously popular WeChat application into a gaming platform. Tencent currently boasts of the strongest presence in China’s mobile sector. The WeChat application has more than 570 million downloads and Tencent itself is behind many of the country’s most popular mobile games. Alibaba is keen to break into the mobile space more aggressively and break the monopoly that Tencent is building.
Developers may find Alibaba’s platform attractive
The organization is providing access to its mobile gaming platform to developers for free this year. This initiative aims to attract game developers to the platform and provide them with the resources they need to develop engaging mobile games that will be associated with Alibaba in the future. The revenue that these games produce will be split, with 70% of the revenue going to developers and 20% going to Alibaba. Approximately 10% of the revenue generated by these mobile games will be donated to rural education initiatives.
Games to be marketed and distributed through Taobao
Alibaba has also committed itself to fully supporting the mobile games that are developed for its platform. The organization will market and distribute these games through its Taobao e-commerce division, which boasts of 700 million users. This will provide developers with a great deal of exposure and help them reach a larger audience that they may not have had access to in the past.
Developers show faith in wearable technology
Mobile games developers are beginning to show a great deal of interest in wearable technology. Google Glass and Samsung Galaxy Gear have yet to attract the enthusiasm of consumers, but game developers are keen to make new products for these platforms. Glass, in particular, has managed to establish a following among consumers despite the fact that it is not yet available. Game developers have been rushing to make applications for the platform in order to take advantage of what could be the next big thing to come to the consumer electronics realm.
Wearable technology could change the mobile space
Glu Mobile, a prominent developer of mobile games, compares the potential of wearable technology to that of the iPhone when it was first launched. The iPhone received a great deal of hype before its official launch and went on to revolutionize the mobile space, especially where applications are concerned. Wearable technology may have a similar impact on the mobile space, but it is impossible to tell for certain whether or not this will be the case.
Mobile games on Glass being released in January
Mobile games for Google Glass are already scheduled for launch later this month, but Glass itself has not yet been officially released. Currently, only a few thousand developers have access to the platform. Developer units were issued in order to get developers more comfortable with the platform and understand its capabilities and limitations. Game developers have praised Glass’ use of augmented reality as well as its other features.
Some challenges may lie ahead for mobile games on wearable platforms
Mobile games and wearable technology may go hand-in-hand. These games are well liked because they can be played anywhere and at any time. Technology like Glass compliments this feature, allowing users to play mobile games whenever they like. The problem, however, resides in how a Glass user will actually control their mobile games. If voice control is the only option, mobile games may soon become more of an annoyance, especially for commuters, than a source of entertainment.
