Tag: game industry

Mobile games prove lucrative for iDreamSky

| May 15, 2013

Lucrative Mobile GamesMobile games continue to prove financial attractive for game industry

Mobile games have been attracting a great deal of attention recently due to their lucrative nature. The opportunity to amass fortune has proven strong enough to attract hordes of developers to the mobile sector. While the game industry as a whole may be well attuned to the financial prospects that can be found in mobile games, most consumers are not aware of how much money these games actually produce. iDreamSky, a publisher of mobile games, may serve as an adequate example.

Publisher finds success in bringing western games to China

iDreamSky was founded four years ago just as mobile games began finding traction with consumers. The publisher started out small, but quickly grew to account for more than 200 employees as its growth was powered by some of the world’s most popular mobile games, such as Halfbrick’s Fruit Ninja and Imangi’s Temple Run. The publisher was able to bring these games from western markets and into China, where they found a great deal of success among Chinese consumers that had been very interested in mobile games.

Publisher grosses up to $7 million per month

The publisher’s focus on bringing western mobile games to China has served it well. China is a very competitive market when it comes to gaming and the mobile space. The country is home to thousands of independent Android app stores that are not associated with Google. There are also varying interests among the diverse consumer groups found throughout the country. This makes it difficult to make games appealing to a particular demographic, especially those that are played on mobile devices. iDreamSky has found a way to overcome this issue, however, and is estimated to gross as much as $7 million every month simply by bringing western games to China.

Western games may be more exotic for Chinese consumers

The publisher’s co-founder and executive vice president, Jeff Lyndon, claims that bringing western games to China has provided the market with something unique. Local developers tend to target a very specific demographic, a common practice that can often lead to games that are unappealing to those outside of that target audience. These games are typically associated with elements that are common throughout Chinese entertainment. Western mobile games, however, are not specifically designed with the Chinese market in mind, thus offer some sense of exoticism to gamers.

Mobile games may be the doom of consoles

| May 14, 2013

Mobile games doom of consolesMobile games have caused a shift in the game industry

The game industry is beginning to shift and that has one of the largest game publishers in the world somewhat worried. Activision, which is second only to Nintendo in terms of revenue, has taken note of the stunning rise of mobile games. These games have proven to be rampantly popular with consumers of all ages and have become a very lucrative sector for the game industry as a whole. Normally, this would not be a problem as more people playing games could be considered a boon for the industry. What has Activision worried, however, is that mobile games may soon cut into the console market.

Activision foresees turbulence ahead

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick has been expressing his concerns regarding the console market recently. Consoles are currently trapped in a state of limbo, lingering between old technologies and the emergence of next generation consoles that have yet to hit the market. The current console generation has been successful for the game industry, but many believe that it has lingered too long, creating stagnation in the market and causing consumer interest to evaporate. This problem is being exacerbated by mobile games.

Mobile games expected to cut into console market share

According to Kotick, mobile games are beginning to become a serious issue for the console market. iPhones and Android devices are becoming much more popular and available to consumers. These devices are often used to play games and most of these games can be acquired for free or at a very low price, unlike console titles that typically cost $50 or more. Because of the price and convenience associated with mobile games, Kotick believes that more gamers may soon be inclined to play on mobile devices rather than actual consoles, especially as next generation consoles are expected to come at a high cost to the consumer.

Nintendo takes note of popularity of mobile games as well

Kotick has been using Nintendo’s Wii U as an example of the turbulence next generation consoles are likely to see. The Wii U is the first of this new generation, but has performed poorly in the global market. Nintendo recently acknowledged the lackluster performance of the Wii U and has been considering a foray into bring mobile games to the console in order to make it more appealing to modern gamers around the world.