For The Mobile Gaming Inclined: What The Future Holds For Mobile Gamers
For those of us who are old enough, I am sure you can remember playing your favorite game on the Sega, Nintendo and Super Nintendo gaming consoles. Many of us were so delirious with excitement that we thought gaming could not get any better.
In retrospect, it seems an extremely silly prediction.
Even thought the game console world continues to advance and bring in new innovations, there is the undeniable fact that the bulk of subscribers are moving elsewhere – mobile gaming.
I am sure a good number of us can remember playing Tetris (the pre smart phone version), Snake and some other old school games way back when on our phones.
Well that is a story for the history books.
The introduction and market penetration of smart phones has made it possible for mobile games to innovate, flourish and establish themselves as a bulwark of an industry. An industry that records serious yearly revenue and this only continues to grow.
Earlier this year, Newzoo released the latest quarterly update of its Global Games Market Report. It projects that gamers the world over will amass a revenue of $99.6 billion in 2016 with 37% coming from mobile gaming.
No doubt, mobile gaming is here to stay, the question is just how much will it affect us going forward?
So if you are an avid gamer, here are a few things I believe the mobile gaming industry holds for your future as a gamer.
1. Streaming of mobile games will finally burst out of the blocks
There are gamers and then there are those who get a kick out of watching games being played. Both parties are invaluable to the mobile gaming industry. However, the difficulties of streaming games online with mobile devices have impeded the growth of mobile game streaming.
This is sure to change in the future – even now; steps have already been taken in that direction.
The entrance of services such as MobCrush which allow for direct streaming from a mobile device and that will make it easier for gamers to be able to share what they are doing. This will consequently lead to an increase in the amount of mobile gaming content that is streamed.
So hang on Youtubers and other streamers, things can only get better.
2. Revenue from mobile gaming will surpass that of console gaming
Different statistical data have shown the inevitable – they have predicted that in the next couple of years the revenue generated from mobile gaming sales will surpass that from the console gaming segment.
Newzoo's forecast for example predicts that in the year 2018, mobile gaming will make up 43% ($47.4bn of $112.5bn) of the total revenue of the global games market as compared to 27% for console gaming. Big Fish Games concurs by predicting revenue of about the same amount ($45billion) in 2018 for mobile gaming. They also say that in the same year, $4 from every $10 spent on gaming will be mobile.
3. Gradual but certain progress for mobile VR
This is still in its infancy as there is still a lot to do for it to gain proper ground and establishment, but the possibilities are mouth watering.
VR has already begun to show in glimpses what it has to offer to the world of gaming. This is more obvious when you realize some of the tech and IT industry that have invested heavily in it.
Companies like Facebook and Sony own arguably the biggest names in the world of VR technology right now and are poised to deliver crazy innovation to us in the not too distant future. The application of VR extends far beyond the gaming industry but games I think will always be its greatest area of application.
One way this will happen is that VR companies will begin to look into ways to sufficiently integrate VR technology with mobile gaming seeing as it is the fastest growing gaming segment in the industry.
As this integration becomes more apparent we will see game developers of all sorts of games – from action and puzzle games to different kinds online casino games – begin to tap into this innovation to give their subscribers the ultimate real world gaming experience.
4. All games will attain mobility
In the year 2015, Sony and Microsoft announced that console gamers would now have the option to play their PS4 and Xbox One games on their laptops and PCs. Furthermore, PC games gained the ability to literally 'move' from the computer screens to any TV of the gamers' choice, thanks to the low cost Steam Link TV dongle.
And with the impending increase in the role mobile videos will play in the streaming of PC and console games, it is safe to say that the gaming culture is going to become increasingly mobile.
5. Gaming giant firms will come into the mobile gaming industry
Traditional gaming giants such as Sony and Nintendo are likely to take their first steps into the mobile gaming industry. And with the multi-billion dollar purchase by Activision's Blizzard, the competition is sure to heat up in the near future.
All these companies are sure to portray some really beautiful and healthy rivalry that will see the gaming industry not only mature but also become more and more innovative, gamer addictive and consequently bring in more revenue.
However, this will mean some heavy financing from each of these gaming behemoths. It is left to them to make sure that this entry does not end up threatening their industry standing.