Mobile gaming is officially the world’s most popular gaming industry segment. Since 2018, the sector has consistently outperformed both consoles and PC gaming combined. As new technological advances bring mobile technology on a par with even the most sophisticated of desktop devices, its popularity is set to only increase stratospherically.
As of 2021, there are around 3.9 billion smartphone users across the globe. This means that over 40% of the world’s population is primed for gaming on the go. Consequently, mobile games are some of the industry’s top performers, with the likes of PUBG Mobile and Genshin Impact generating over $2.8 and $1.8 billion in revenues, respectively.
Mobile gaming is growing at an incredible rate, and here are four trends that will see its continued success throughout 2023 and beyond.
Console Quality Games
Spurred on by manufacturers such as ASUS and Razer, the hardware capabilities of gaming-ready smartphones have increased tenfold in recent years. Sophisticated mobile chipsets offer far greater gaming performance and have the facility to power high-def resolutions even on 6-inch or less screens. Paired with emerging 5G technology, which will allow for speeds 20 times that of 4G (according to Ericsson), we have all the makings of the perfect platform for console-quality gaming experiences.
With such powerful hardware in the palm of their hands, modern gamers expect mobile games to feature high-quality visuals with complex storylines. We’ve already seen several AAA games launch on mobile, while major brands like Microsoft and Sony have also made significant steps into crafting complex mobile gaming apps.
Mobile Casinos
The iGaming sector is never one to shy away from innovation. While it’s been possible to play casino gaming apps for some time now, more recently, operators have made significant advances in developing the segment. Streamlined mobile casinos have a far greater reach than software-heavy desktop applications, a fact that iGaming operators cannot ignore.
LuckyLand Slots, for instance, has launched its offering on multiple platforms, enabling players to access its slots online games even on mobile devices. This marks a shift in focus for iGaming operators, who, moving forward, will likely be prioritising mobile-ready content above traditional desktop-only content.
Mobile eSports
While eSports itself is not necessarily a brand new trend sweeping the gaming industry, nevertheless, it remains one of the most potent in terms of its ability to revolutionise the mobile gaming landscape. With eSports set to increase to over $2 billion in value this year, it offers plenty of potential for up-and-coming mobile gaming brands to gain a foothold in the industry.
The popularity of mobile eSports, too, shows just how ready gaming audiences are for the opportunity to play competitive games on mobile. Several of the best-selling games in recent years belong to the mobile eSports category, like the aforementioned PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty: Mobile and Arena of Valor.
Cross-Platform Play
Cross-platform gaming is big news throughout the entire gaming industry right now, and, thanks in part to the inception of cloud gaming, it’s also bringing about significant changes for the mobile gaming segment.
While games studios have made major strides in developments over the past decade, gamers have nevertheless remained frustrated that they are limited to not just the games they can play on a particular platform but who they can play with or against. Pre-cross platform play, mobile gamers could only play with fellow gamers on mobile, Xbox players with other Xbox players, PC gamers with other PC gamers and so on.
Cross-play, however, will enable games to be available across the whole spectrum of gaming devices, connecting players on mobile with PC gamers and everyone in between.
