Tag: google mobile games

Google aims to make mobile games more social

| May 18, 2013

Google - Social Mobile GamesMobile games may benefit from strong social elements

Mobile games continue to pick up momentum around the world and Google is eager to ensure that it can keep consumers as engaged as possible. The famed technology company is not a game developer or publisher itself, but it is responsible for one of the most popular mobile operating systems in the world: Android. Google also operates the digital distribution system for Android applications and mobile games. While mobile games have become very popular with consumers, Google believes that there could be more variety in the current market. As such, the company has begun focusing on social games.

Social games continue to be popular with consumers

Social games were first made popular on Facebook. Users of the social network often spend much of their time playing these games while connecting with their friends. Companies like Zynga have made their names with Facebook social games, but there has been a marked decline in variety in these titles in recent years. Google believes that social games could be well received among the mobile crowd and has announced plans to introduce a new service that focuses specifically on social mobile games.

Google announces new service

Google Play Games, as it is called, is being built to bring a variety of social elements into Android gaming. The service will include multiplayer functionality, achievements, cloud-based save features, as well as other social options that are meant to help people connect and communicate with one another. The service is expected to make the mobile games available through the Google Play marketplace more attractive to a wider range of consumers. These games could benefit from the exposure they could see through the various social elements of Google’s new service.

Consumers continue to be open to mobile games

Consumers have, thus far, been very accommodating of mobile games. The market is awash with thousands upon thousands of mobile games, many of which have not received the favor of consumers. Despite the fact that many of these games go not live up to the standards of consumers, the market continues to be very open to new titles.

Mobile games could help Google beat Apple

| April 24, 2013

Google Mobile GamesGoogle Play posts strong gains with the help of mobile games

Google has been seeing strong growth in its applications store. Google Play is home to a vast assortment of mobile applications covering a variety of needs and interests. Google has announced that Google Play’s revenue has shown impressive growth, outpacing that of Apple’s own App Store. Mobile games play a contributing factor in this growth, especially as more consumers become interested in mobile games for the sake of entertainment. Indeed, mobile games may soon help Google Play acquire the momentum necessary to overcome Apple.

Research shows that Google is catching up with Apple

According to Canalys, a leading market research firm, both the App Store and Google Play accounted for $2.2 billion in revenue collectively during the first three months of 2013. Apple’s App Store represents 74% of this revenue, with Google picking up the remainder. Similar data from App Annie, an analytics firm, suggests that Google Play revenue were 38.5% of the App Store’s, representing a significant gain for Google.

Asian markets show strong support for mobile games

Growth is strongly felt in a wide range of categories, but mobile games are helping add significant momentum to Google’s growing revenues. A craze has begun to form around mobile games in several countries. In South Korea, for instance, mobile games represent some of the most used applications on Google Play. This is partly backed by the growing availability of smartphone and tablets. As these mobile devices become more common, more consumers have opportunities to play mobile games or make use of the other applications available on Google Play. Currently, mobile games account for 90% of the revenues generated in South Korea and Japan as far as Google Play is concerned.

Google Play may overcome the App Store by 2016

The applications market has become inundated with mobile games over the past two years. These games have proven quite popular with a wide range of consumers, leading the game industry to throw its considerable strength behind the development of these games. If mobile games continue to show impressive growth, Google Play is likely to surpass the App Store in terms of revenue by 2016.