Tag: mobile games news

Mobile games are growing quickly in Canada

| November 25, 2015

Mobile game revenue may soon outpace that seen in console gaming

Mobile games is a booming market. Many large developers and publishers have begun to focus on the mobile space, looking to take advantage of the growing number of mobile consumers willing to play and pay for games on their smartphones and tablets. In Canada, many consumers are beginning to play mobile games and the market is expected to see significant growth in the coming years, even outpacing the growth of the console gaming market.

Developers are beginning to see the value in mobile games

According to a new report from the Entertainment Software Association of Canada, the revenue generated by mobile games may soon outpace the sale of console games. Mobile games typically feature in-game purchases. These purchases can be anything from additional content to special items that provide some advantage in the game. While developers have been looking to bring these types of purchases to console games, they have already become well established in mobile gaming. Consumers have shown that they are quite willing to pay for content and other benefits in mobile games.

Report shows that mobile game revenue is growing quickly

Mobile games GrowthAccording to the report from the Entertainment Software Association of Canada, console games remain the bulk of the overall gaming market. These games account for 35% of all revenue that Canadian developers are seeing. Mobile games, however, are growing quickly and now account for 31% of all revenue that developers see in the country. Notably, mobile games have continued growing, whereas console games have seen a 32% decline since 2013.

Developers are looking to enter the mobile space and engage consumers

With mobile gaming picking up momentum, more developers are beginning to show more interest in the mobile sector. Recently, acclaimed developer Konami decided that it will be focusing on mobile gaming. Activision Blizzard is also looking to become more involved in the mobile space, recently purchasing mobile game developer King for nearly $6 billion. Developers are looking to engage mobile consumers more effectively, as these consumers have shown that they are willing to pay for the mobile games that they play.

Activision Blizzard may enter mobile games space with recent acquisition

| November 10, 2015

Activision Blizzard acquires King Digital

Activision Blizzard, a leading publisher of games and parent company of both Blizzard and Activision, has successfully purchased King Digital, makers of the massively popular Candy Crush franchise of mobile games. The company purchased King Digital for $5.9 billion, which is more than Disney paid for the rights to the famed Star Wars franchise. Mobile games are becoming a prominent focus for many companies involved in the game industry, as these particular games have proven to be quite lucrative.

Mobile games market expected to reach $55 billion by 2019

According to Activision Blizzard, the mobile gaming space is expected to reach $36 billion this year, growing to $55 billion by 2019. This explosive growth is creating a great deal of interest among investors, as mobile games could represent a major return on investment in a relatively short amount of time. Investors have been pressuring Activision Blizzard to enter into the mobile games market for several years, but the company has only done so in a limited capacity, focusing its efforts on its more popular franchises for consoles and PC.

Mobile games are very simplistic and do not appeal to the core audience of Activision Blizzard

Mobile Games AcquisitionOne of the reasons that Activision Blizzard has been slow to enter into the mobile games space is because its most popular games are not suited for mobile devices. The attraction of these games are their graphics, immersive experiences, and interactive multiplayer options. Mobile devices have very limited capabilities when it comes to providing an expansive and immersive experiences, but they excel at offering consumers access to easy-to-play and simplistic games, in both style and mechanics. Moreover, Activision Blizzard’s core audience is not incredibly involved in mobile games, as they prefer to play their games on consoles and computers.

King Digital could help Activision Blizzard break into the mobile gaming space

The purchase of King Digital may allow Activision Blizzard to begin establishing a strong presence in the mobile gaming space. In the past, King Digital saw major success with its mobile games, but has struggled to replicate this success after 2014. The company has developed some 200 mobile games, but only its Candy Crush franchise has done well, both financially and in terms of player adoption.