Tag: mobile game

Mobile gaming beginning to compete with consoles and PC

Mobile GamingMobile gaming appeals to a wide range of consumers

High-tech mobile devices are becoming increasingly common among consumers. Smart phones and tablets are some of the most famous consumer electronics available today, and these products are becoming more advanced as time goes on. As mobile technology advances, smart devices become more capable of astonishing visuals and can support applications that have high CPU requirements. Thus, mobile devices are beginning to reach a point where they may soon replace traditional computers, in the sense of mobile gaming.

Mobility proves to win the favor of gamers

Mobile gaming is a very popular pastime for a wide range of people. There are, quite literally, millions of mobile game applications available for mobile devices of all kinds. These games include Angry Birds and Plants vs. Zombies, some of the most popular games of the modern gaming era. Furthermore, mobile games are considerably less expensive that traditional games, with many console games costing $60 and PC games ranging between $40 and $80, depending on the publisher.

Spending on mobile gaming is increasing

IHS, a global research and analytics firm, suggests that spending on console gaming has declined by 20% over the past two years, while mobile gaming has taken up a significant amount of the slack. The appeal of mobile gaming largely resides in the fact that mobile devices can be used anywhere, thus giving users an opportunity to play the games they love while on the go. This versatility, coupled with the rapidly increasing capabilities of mobile devices, has been well received by a rather large demographic of consumers.

Mobile games may soon become a serious topic within the game industry

Mobile gaming may not be able to wholly replace other forms of gaming, especially as PC technology becomes more advanced and versatile, but it is certainly beginning to play a very big role in the game industry. Many gamers are eager to compare one console to another, constantly arguing for the superiority of their favored platform. Mobile gaming may soon be entered into this ongoing battle among gamers.

Mobile games account for majority of mobile applications market revenue for 2012

Mobile games generate significant profits

Mobile applications represent a huge and massively lucrative market. According to Flurry, a leading analytic firm operating in the mobile space, mobile applications accounted for $10 billion in revenue during 2012. The firm has released a report concerning the lucrative mobile applications business, which highlights the impact of free mobile games. The report shows that though free mobile games do not cost anything to play, that account for the majority of the revenue seen in the mobile applications market.

80% of revenue generated through free mobile games

Mobile games are among the most popular applications that are available to consumers with smart phones and tablets. These games often provide hours of entertainment and are typically designed to be very addicting. For many, mobile games are valuable assets because most of these games are free-to-play. Most of these games are filled with advertisements, however, which is part of the reason why they are generating so much money. According to the Flurry report, free mobile games accounted for 80% of the $10 billion in revenue the app market saw t his year.

In-app advertisements help generate revenueMobile Games market revenue

In-app advertisements are not the only thing generating income for mobile games. Many games come equipped with a “cash shop,” which offers bonuses, new equipment, and exclusive features to gamers that want to spend money on the game itself. These cash shop marketplaces are very common in free-to-play games and account for the majority of the revenue they manage to generate. The report also shows that consumers spend large amounts of time on free-to-play games, thus increasing the likelihood that they will purchase something from the cash shop.

Free-to-play games are a lucrative business

The free-to-play model has become very lucrative for developers of mobile games. The report suggests that most developers have yet to identify the ideal niche in which these types of games flourish. Companies like Electronic Arts and Zynga have managed to find a way to make free-to-play games highly appealing to consumers with some cash to spend. Though the latter has been experiencing financial problems of late, Electronic Arts may serve as a powerful example of how to develop games that emphasis participation in a cash shop.