There are people with thinking that Mobile gaming is dead and there are many who will refute this phrase. The issue is complex but you need to understand the data in detail. Mobile gaming was nothing back in the 20th century but started to grow after the presentation of the iPhone 4 back in 2010. Since then the growth in technology helped in enhancing the features of smartphones and that resulted in a massive growth in mobile gaming. According to Statista, the number of smartphone users around the globe continues to grow, and in 2020, has surpassed 3.5 billion.
Mobile gaming vs PC gaming
According to most critics of mobile gaming, the problem is not even in power or graphics. Modern phones have already overtaken the consoles of the pre-previous generation. The performance of the Xbox 360 is 240 gflops, the iPhone 12 has around 1300 gflops, and the latest system on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chip has 1400 gflops according to preliminary data. For example, according to critics, the Nintendo Switch has only about 200 gflops. And yet, Legend of Zelda looks a lot cooler than the coolest mobile game for the iPhone 12. So, when can we expect the release of the Red Dead Redemption 2 for an iPad?
Never, Why bother, if the average mobile MMO or F2P game will bring more money from donations and advertising than top AAA projects? For example, take a look at the 2017 revenue statistics: very popular even by today’s standards, GTA 5 on all platforms in 2017 brought RockStar $ 639 million, however quickly made game like Clash of Clans earned 1.2 billion bucks, almost twice as GTA5! The super-popular MOBA DOTA 2 earned Valve $ 406 million in 2017, and the mobile MOBA – Arena of Valor raised more than $ 1.9 billion. We can go on for a long time, but we think, you got the point. Dang, even live casino on mobile doesn’t bring such big numbers to the operators.
Why is this happening? Where does so much money come from? There are a lot of reasons, but as we see it, time is the basis. Big story games require a lot of effort and continuous immersion in gaming progress. Mobile phone games are usually made so that you play a little, but often, short gaming sessions, even in online mobile games. Artificial barriers in the form of renewable tickets for a fight or some other pay to win mechanics, leaving you only with two options either wait or pay.
Large high-quality projects on the mobile platform come out so rarely because they are expensive in development, it is much easier to make another Free-to-play game to grab quick cash. And as it follows, demand creates supply, the aforementioned PC and consoles are not as common as mobile phones, and most of the market is occupied by budget gadgets, for which Clash of Clans, MOBAs, MMO, and many others are optimized. For many people, the phone is the only way out into the world of games, hence the unrealistic demand, and even more unrealistic supply.
AAA games on mobile devices
Porting large games to mobile devices is a good idea considering the demand from smartphone users. Earlier the problem was related to graphics and screen size. But with the advent of technology and smartphones with large screen sizes, all the issues are now resolved.
Monetization methods for Mobile Games
Earlier, Mobile game developers used to struggle with monetizing the game but publishers found a way out. Currently, the two most popular monetization ways are video ads and in-app purchases. Video ads became very famous with the growth in Puzzle and hyper-casual games. According to the latest report by Sensor Tower, the mobile gaming market has grown extensively with 5 Mobile games crossing $1 Billion in revenue in 2020!
Conclusion
About 15-20 years back, the trend was against mobile gaming but it has been reversed with the aid of the latest technology. The growth in mobile gaming is also said to be because of the mass adaptation of smartphones across the globe. So, irrespective of what critics say, mobile gaming is not dead but it’s just the beginning of a new journey. Therefore, a lot of companies are coming up with the mobile version of their popular PC games.
What are your views about mobile gaming w.r.t PC and console gaming? Do you think Mobile Gaming is dead? Drop-in your opinions in the comment section below!
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