Mobile Gaming Surpasses PC and Consoles
2018 was a year of surprises, as traditional gaming platforms had to give up their crown for the first time to a newcomer. Even though smartphones and mobile devices have been with us for far less than PCs and gaming consoles have, the year that just ended was the first where mobile gaming was projected to take the lead and account for 51% of all gaming revenue – which translates to $70.3 billion. Console gaming was set to rise to $34.6 billion, or 25%, with PC gaming ranking third at $32.9 billion (24%).
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And the industry is going to boom even further in 2019, as developers have understood the value of investing in mobile gaming. As ironsrc.com reports, as of August 2018, a whopping $559 million was spent by players in in-app purchases across casual games. Puzzle games and simulation titles were the only types of mobile games to keep increasing their yearly turnover in 2018 but, based on the market performance of RPG mobile games in China, the same source predicts that 2019 might be the year where the genre claims the leading spot in terms of profit.
Why Did Mobile Gaming Boom in 2018?
How did this boom come to be? It seems that a wide range of gamers are growing fond of playing their favorite games on mobile, even in traditional industries – as CasinoWings.com reports, mobile casinos are very popular among online gamblers, thanks to the convenience they offer for playing on the go. Yet, just a few years ago, not that many online providers offered a dedicated mobile version of their site. The growing trend of mobile gaming has a lot to do with the fact that developers and providers have caught on and strive to offer much more choice to those who prefer the mobile platform.
Smartphone penetration rose to more than 75% in countries like the US, the UK and Germany, and to over 55% in markets like China, Japan, Russia and South Korea, according to Newzoo.com. This means that we are getting more and more familiar with using our smartphones for just about everything – from chatting online or responding to emails, to shopping or calling a cab. Mobile gaming is no different: players like the convenience and portability that mobile devices offer, while the release of amazing titles like Fortnite or PUBG that were designed with mobile platforms in mind offers an experience that in no way lacks when compared to PC or console gaming.
As mobile gaming continues to grow, we are sure to see many more gaming titles developed especially for mobile devices – and perhaps even harnessing the potential of cutting-edge VR and AR tech, like Pokémon Go so successfully did.