Tag: free-to-play mobile games

EA adopts a focus on mobile games

| August 30, 2013

EA puts mobile games before PC titles

The global game industry has been seeing some turbulence recently as profits fell below expected levels for many developers and publishers around the world. This downturn seems to be restricted to console games, however, as the PC gaming market has been seeing a relative boom. A recent report from the PC Gaming Alliance shows that the PC gaming market grew by 8% in 2012 and this is supported by the latest financial report from Electronic Arts, one of the world’s largest game publishers. Despite the apparent success of the PC gaming market, Electronic Arts has only modest plans to pursue PC titles. Instead, the company is looking to focus more on mobile games.

Game industry evolving to embrace mobile titles

Mobile games have become a major part of the game industry in a relatively short amount of time. Developers around the world are beginning to focus more heavily on mobile platforms because of their popularity among consumers. Indeed, many consumers have shown a great deal of interest in gaming from their smartphones and tablets. The value of mobile games is not lost on Electronic Arts and the company has been working to establish a more formidable presence in this sector in recent years.

EA to focus on next-gen consoles alongside mobile games

While mobile games have become a major focus for Electronic Arts, the publisher’s top priority is next-generation consoles, such as the Playstation 4 and the Xbox One. While next-gen consoles are the priority, the publisher will be looking to support cross-platform games for these consoles as well as mobile devices. Electronic Arts has a chief interest in free-to-play mobile games, which are, quite literally, free to obtain. These games typically include some form of in-game shop that allows consumers to spend real money to unlock additional content.

Major titles likely to have a mobile companion

Electronic Arts intends to make the free-to-play mobile games experience a part of its various franchises. This likely means that every major game published by the company will have some sort of mobile game attached to it. These mobile games will include a cash shop that will sell virtual content  to gamers. Typically, games that are overtly cavalier when it comes to in-game purchases are not well received among consumers.

Mobile games continue to grow in popularity

| April 29, 2013

Juniper Research study highlights growth of mobile games

Juniper Research, a leading market research firm, has released a new study on the state of mobile games. As with other studies in the same vein, Juniper’s notes that mobile games are gaining strong momentum among consumers as smartphones and tablets become more availability. Mobile games are helping many fulfill their need for entertainment throughout the day, while also providing sufficient distraction for those at work or traveling. The report paints a promising future for the mobile games sector as more people become involved in gaming on their mobile devices.

64 billion mobile games to be downloaded by 2017

The study from Juniper Research predicts that more than 64 billion mobile games will be downloaded by consumers by 2017, more than triple the number of downloads that were reported in 2012. While many mobile games are specifically designed to be addicting, Juniper Research claims that the most significant contributing factor to this growth is the increasing number of free-to-play mobile games. These games require no purchase and are available to all consumers, immediately making them more attractive than games that are associated with a fee.

Games prove most popular with tablet owners

The study shows that tablet owners are particularly fond of mobile games. Juniper Research suspects that the reason mobile games are so popular among tablet owners is due to the better controls, larger screens, and higher fidelity visuals that can be achieved through these devices. As such, tablet games are considered slightly better than their smartphone counterparts among consumers. The study suggests that there are twice as many downloads for mobile games among tablet owners than among smartphone owners.

Mobile games expected to continue growing beyond 2017

Juniper Research does not predict the growth of mobile games to slow down beyond 2017. These games have established themselves as a cornerstone of the game industry and many developers and publishers therein are beginning to consider mobile games an ideal medium to consumer engagement. These games have also become one of the most lucrative sectors of the game industry.

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