Mobile reports and market data
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How mobile will boost the games market to over $100 billion
The global games industry is projected to exceed $100 billion in revenue by 2017, a milestone driven primarily by the rapid expansion of the mobile sector and significant growth within Asian markets.
- The global games industry is projected to surpass $100 billion in revenue by 2017, fueled primarily by the mobile sector and rapid growth in Asian markets.
- Mobile games generate over 70% of total global application revenue, outperforming traditional console and subscription models in profitability and development efficiency.
- Multiplayer and player-versus-player mobile games generate up to 13 times the revenue of single-player titles due to superior engagement and retention metrics.
Peter Vesterbacka on the 200 million Angry Bird audience
The evolution of Angry Birds from a mobile game into a global entertainment franchise serves as a case study for the necessity of long-term brand building in an increasingly saturated digital market.
- Angry Birds has achieved a massive scale with over two billion total downloads and 200 million monthly active users, proving that digital-native games can reach the cultural ubiquity of legacy brands.
- Diversification is critical to financial stability, with physical consumer products like toys and beverages now accounting for 45 percent of the franchise's total revenue.
- The brand has achieved exceptional global penetration, reaching 90 percent brand recognition in the United States and 93 percent in China.
King's Tommy Palm on the growth of global games
The evolution of the mobile gaming industry from a fragmented, niche market to a global powerhouse is defined by the transition from individual developer experimentation to the dominance of large-scale publishers.
- Market power has rapidly consolidated, with the number of companies occupying the top five grossing positions dropping from 26 in 2011 to just 10 by 2013.
- Success in the current mobile landscape requires cultivating direct, long-term relationships with fan bases through social networks and direct communication channels.
- The App Store fundamentally transformed the industry by lowering barriers to entry for developers and simplifying user interfaces, enabling independent creators to achieve massive commercial scale.
Chris James welcomes you to PG Connects London 2014
The mobile gaming industry has undergone a profound transformation over the past decade, evolving from a niche market focused on 2D Java games into a multi-billion dollar global powerhouse.
- The mobile gaming industry has transitioned from a niche market of 2D Java games into a multi-billion dollar global powerhouse.
- Business models have successfully shifted toward free-to-play mechanics, allowing for massive revenue generation despite the absence of upfront costs.
- Mobile hardware capabilities have evolved significantly, now offering performance levels comparable to traditional PCs and consoles.
Candy Crush's Success - Why People Can't Get Enough Candy Crush - Extra Credits
Candy Crush Saga’s immense commercial success, characterized by its status as a top-grossing mobile application and a leader in total player engagement, stems from sophisticated game design that transcends the standard match-three genre.
- Candy Crush Saga achieves high engagement by modulating the player's interest curve through hand-crafted, non-rectangular level designs and varied, non-repetitive objectives.
- The game utilizes controlled randomness in its starting boards to ensure every level attempt is a unique challenge, which encourages persistence after failure by preventing the perception of a static logic problem.
- Monetization is driven by shifting the player's focus from abstract score-chasing to tangible, visually obvious goals like clearing specific grid squares or moving items to the bottom of the screen.
John Hanke on why location unlocks the next wave of mobile gaming
Location-based mobile gaming represents a significant frontier for digital entertainment, driven by the convergence of advanced mobile hardware, wearable technology, and health-focused applications.
- Location-based gaming is evolving from a niche experiment into a mainstream platform by integrating real-world movement with immersive, narrative-driven gameplay.
- The core value of location-based experiences lies in their ability to foster emergent social behaviors and collaborative community dynamics similar to traditional massively multiplayer online games.
- Global infrastructure is a prerequisite for success, as evidenced by Ingress, which has successfully established a presence across more than 200 countries.
Creative Mobile on fun, success and ground-breaking ambition
Creative Mobile, an Estonian game development studio, established its market presence by capitalizing on the early Android ecosystem.
- Creative Mobile scaled from a five-person team to approximately 75 employees by leveraging in-app purchases, which increased revenue by three to four times following the success of their breakout title, Drag Racing.
- The studio achieved early market traction by utilizing a rapid-prototyping strategy, releasing simple games every four to six weeks to identify viable concepts within the early Android ecosystem.
- Despite the success of Drag Racing, the studio avoided over-investing in the brand due to its generic nature and lack of strong intellectual property, choosing instead to reinvest profits into diverse genre experimentation.
GDC 2014: Bo Daly, CEO, Super Evil Mega Corp
Free-to-play business models remain a central, albeit polarizing, subject within the gaming industry.
- Free-to-play business models are shifting from mobile-exclusive to the console space, signaling a move toward more sustainable, service-based monetization.
- The gaming industry is actively converging high-fidelity console development standards with the maturation of mobile hardware to create more immersive portable experiences.
- Developers are increasingly prioritizing long-term engagement models that bridge the gap between hardcore console-style gameplay and accessible mobile platforms.
GDC 2014: Dan Gray, producer, ustwo Games
The mobile gaming landscape is currently undergoing a significant shift toward the resurgence of premium, high-quality experiences.
- Ustwo Games is prioritizing craftsmanship and aesthetic value over traditional mobile monetization models to differentiate its titles in a crowded marketplace.
- The game Monument Valley serves as a case study for proving that mobile platforms can support high-fidelity, premium gaming experiences comparable to traditional hardware.
- The initial release strategy for Monument Valley is focused on the iOS platform, with potential expansion to Android contingent on consumer demand and community engagement.
GDC 2014: Phil Larsen, CMO, Halfbrick
The global game development industry relies heavily on centralized professional gatherings to facilitate international networking, distribution partnerships, and knowledge sharing.
- Studios mitigate financial risk and ensure long-term sustainability by maintaining a diversified portfolio of intellectual property across multiple gameplay styles.
- Industry conferences function as essential hubs for independent studios to condense months of business development, networking, and press outreach into single-week events.
- The emergence of wearable technology and virtual reality is forcing developers to re-evaluate current mobile-centric monetization models in favor of potential subscription or premium paid structures.
Monetizer: Frontline Commando 2
Frontline Commando 2, a third-person shooter developed by Glu Mobile, serves as a prime example of Western-market free-to-play (F2P) design, characterized by high-end graphics, a streamlined user interface, and aggressive, integrated monetization strategies.
- Frontline Commando 2 by Glu Mobile utilizes a dual-currency system that forces players to choose between long-term grinding or using hard currency (gold) to bypass progression friction.
- The game employs an energy system to limit session length, effectively creating artificial scarcity that incentivizes microtransactions to maintain gameplay momentum.
- Monetization is driven by high-value consumable items, randomized mystery crates, and a 'pay-to-win' structure that makes financial investment necessary for success in higher-level content.
Monetizer: Royal Revolt 2
Royal Revolt 2, developed by Flaregames, is a mobile title that integrates city-building mechanics with tower defense gameplay.
- Royal Revolt 2 utilizes a dynamic 'percentage fill' resource mechanic where players purchase a percentage of their storage capacity rather than fixed amounts, creating a fluctuating exchange rate tied to progression.
- The game employs a high-value conversion tactic by offering a permanent 'third builder' as an incentive for a significant one-time hard currency purchase.
- Hard currency (gems) is integrated into core progression by allowing players to directly purchase experience points, accelerate construction, and unlock additional troop or spell slots.