Real-money mobile games could be a powerful source of revenue for publisher
Mobile games are already extremely popular with consumers throughout the U.S., but if these games offered a chance for people to win actual money they may see a significant spike in consumer activity. Glu Mobile, a publisher of mobile games in the U.S., believes that real-money games may be a part of the future of the mobile space. Mobile games that offer consumers a chance to be rewarded for their skill could be a powerful revenue source that has not yet been tapped into.
Glu Mobile teams with Skillz
Despite the popularity of mobile games, Glu Mobile has struggled to report profits since 2007. The publisher has been involved in many sectors of the gaming space, focusing primarily on mobile games, but has been unable to find a strong foothold in any of these sectors. Glu Mobile recently entered into a partnership with Skillz, a pioneer in the realm of real-money games, and believes that it has finally found a place where it can find some profit.
Mobile games awarding real money could be a hit with consumers
Real-money games have yet to find any significant level of popularity, partly due to the misconception that these games involve gambling in some way. These games do not, in fact, involve gambling, however, as they are entirely based on skill and players do not lose anything if they do not happen to perform well in any particular task. Glu Mobile believes that these mobile games can provide a quality experience to consumers while also giving them a powerful incentive to continue playing these games for significant periods of time.
Glu Mobile to launch cash tournament for games
Glu Mobile will be making use of the Skillz platform to introduce cash tournaments to its popular hunting simulator called Deer Hunter Reloaded. Players will be able to compete in this tournament free of charge, allowing a wide range of people to compete for cash prizes. Glu Mobile currently has plans to expand this practice to other mobile games that it is responsible for in the second half of this year.
Japan may lead the charge toward mobile games
Japan has long been a hub of activity in the game industry. The country is home to many of the world’s most acclaimed game development studios and publishers and has been a very prominent market for the game industry for years. In many cases, Japan has been the birth place of many of the trends that are being seen in the game industry today and the country may be on the frontlines of a major shift away from traditional gaming platforms toward mobile games.
Metaps reports publishers flocking to mobile games
According to Metaps, an Android monetization platform, a large number of Japanese game publishers are beginning to show strong interest in mobile games. These publishers have been taking note of the rising popularity of these games among consumers with smartphones and tablets. Part of the allure of mobile games has to do with the money that can be found in this sector. Consumers have shown their willingness to spend money on mobile games time and again, which itself has been more than enough encouragement for game developers and publishers to show more interest in the world of mobile games.
Trend could spread throughout the world
With Japanese publishers showing such extreme interest in mobile games, a number of new titles for mobile platforms are expected to enter the Japanese market in the near future. This trend may quickly spread to the rest of the world, especially as large publishers, such as Electronic Arts, have already expressed strong interest in mobile games of all kinds. If mobile games continue to grow in popularity among consumers, publishers are likely to begin pressuring developers to begin crafting mobile titles at a faster pace.
Mobile not likely to dethrone consoles
While mobile games are becoming significantly more popular, console games remain the staple of the game industry. Mobile games may eventually cut into the console market, but with a new generation of consoles on the horizon, this is not likely to take place within the next several years. Moreover, console makers are not blind to the opportunities that exist in the mobile space and have been working to make their traditionally stationary console systems more mobile friendly.
