Tag: mobile games

Mobile games may soon dethrone consoles

| April 18, 2013

Mobile GamesMobile games are beginning to hold sway over the game industry as a whole

The game industry is currently experience a monumental shift as a new generation of consumers and technology enter into prominent markets around the world. For the past several decades, the game industry has been solely focused on console platforms, as well as PCs. The advent of mobile technology changed that focus, however, especially as advanced smartphones and tablets became extremely popular. Mobile games have quickly become one of the most lucrative aspects of the game industry, which has encouraged developers to swarm to the mobile space in order to take advantage of this popularity.

Developers beginning to swarm the mobile space

A few short years ago, mobile games were considered little more than novelty. They have, however, become one of the most successful fields in the game industry. Consumers around the world have shown that they are exceedingly interested in mobile games of all types, sinking hours upon hours of their times into games like Angry Birds and Temple Run. As these games find more and more traction among consumers, a growing number of developers are breaking away from publishers in order to establish their independent pedigree, much to the delight of consumers.

Consoles may be in for a tough fight

As developers find more success with mobile games, they are beginning to hold more power over the game industry. The industry has long been dominated by consoles, such as the Playstation and Xbox, but mobile devices are threatening to dethrone these platforms. A new generation of consoles is expected to be released sometime this year by Sony and Microsoft, but whether these platforms will be able to compete with mobile games has yet to be seen. ABI Research, a leading market research firm, suggests that competition with mobile games may be fierce.

Research firm suggests that mobile games are cutting into console opportunities with casual gamers

According to ABI Research, mobile games have diminished the opportunities available to consoles in the casual gaming market. Mobile games have introduced consumers to a new business model, wherein they can get the games they are interested in for free or for a very small fee. In general, mobile games that do cost money are $5 to purchase, at their most expensive. The vast majority of these games, however, are free. Many of these games do have in-app purchases that are, at times, somewhat controversial with some consumers, but these have not diminished the appeal of mobile games in any significant manner.

Mobile games reach new heights in China

| April 15, 2013

China mobile gamesChina Mobile sees major progress in mobile games

Mobile games continue to generate a great deal f attention in China. This week, China Mobile, one of the country’s largest  telecommunications companies, announced that 25% of the applications downloaded from its Mobile Market app store were games. Moreover, these mobile games account for the vast majority of the revenue generated from all of the applications found on the company’s Mobile Market. This makes the mobile games sector the most lucrative sector in the mobile space, at least in China.

Majority of revenue in app market comes from games

According to China Mobile, mobile games represent 87.5% of total revenue earned by the Mobile Market. These games are rampantly popular among Chinese consumers, many of whom use them for entertainment purposes or, quite simply, to pass the time. China Mobile notes that the number of people willing to pay for mobile games is significantly higher than those willing to pay for games on other platforms. Up to 30% of mobile consumers, for instance, have paid or are willing to pay for mobile games of some kind, whereas 1-2% of consumers are willing to pay for PC games.

In-app purchases are becoming more common

China Mobile also notes that consumers are willing to have the fees tied to their mobile games included in their regular phone bill, with approximately 70% of mobile gamers favoring this practice. In-app purchases have also become the stable of the mobile games sector in China, with 90% of all games in the Mobile Market offering some form of in-app purchase. China Mobile expects that in-app purchases will eventually replace the pay-to-download model that has long dominated the applications market, leading most, if not all, mobile games to be free.

China sees economic growth in games

Mobile games have become a strong force in the Chinese economy. For several years, China’s game industry has been somewhat isolated, largely restricted to the borders of its native country. Despite this, the industry has become very affluent in the economy by providing consumers with countless hours of entertainment.