The modern video games industry has decisively established itself as the world’s leading media sector in the 2020s. It commands revenues of over $300bn a year – almost double that of the film industry – and enjoys wide appeal that cuts across demographics.
In light of this, you may reasonably assume that the major players in the gaming space are those so-called ‘triple-A’ mega-franchises like Call of Duty and Madden NFL, and while it’s true that these enjoy enormous sales on consoles, the true economic powerhouse of the industry must be sought elsewhere.
That’s because in 2024, the true economic base of the sector will be found in its mobile division. This may come as a surprise, given that mobile games have long suffered a reputation for being casual, unrefined, and limited when compared to the blockbuster offerings available on legacy platforms. However the mobile sector has truly come of age, and now enjoys significant investment with leading developers producing award-winning titles exclusive to iOS and Android.
All told, over 50% of all revenues made by the industry today come from mobile platforms. There are a number of important reasons why this is the case – for example, the prevalence of freemium games and microtransactions on the platform. However, the main driver of this is that smartphones are far more commonplace and accessible to the average person, meaning the reach of games is far greater on these devices than on dedicated and proprietary hardware like the Xbox Series X|S.
This has resulted in the mobile sector becoming the fastest-growing and most widely played component of the games industry today. Let’s take a look at some of the genres and game types that are leading the charge.
Cloud Gaming
What if you could enjoy the best that the games industry has to offer, all from your mobile device? That’s the exciting prospect being promised by a new generation of cloud gaming platforms. In effect, cloud gaming does for gaming what Netflix does for DVDs – why own the physical discs (and machines to run them) when you stream them instead?
Cloud gaming is still in its early stages, but it’s looking extremely promising. The best in class is likely Xbox Cloud Gaming, a component of Microsoft’s Game Pass subscription, which gives you access to over 170 Xbox games past and present, which can all be enjoyed on any web-connected device. That means you could run the latest Halo or Forza game from your 10-year-old iPhone if you felt like it.
Cloud gaming promises to blur the lines between console and mobile further, and will likely result in a sea-change in the way people conceive of these distinctions in the coming years.
Browser Gaming
A diverse sector that comprises everything from HMTL5 minigames to iGaming platforms, browser gaming suffers from none of the restrictions that titles offered in the official app stores must adhere to. That has made it the number one option for real money titles and casino games, and this has become one of the fastest-growing sectors of the overall mobile gaming market in recent years.
Much of this can be attributed to the rise of recommendation platforms like VegasSlotsOnline which furnish mobile gaming aficionados with comprehensive directories of casino welcome bonuses, exclusive sign-up offers and a host of bespoke promotions that have significantly contributed to the organic reach of the sector on mobile. In addition to this, they have made on-demand casino gaming on these devices increasingly affordable for new and returning digital table gamers.
Bespoke Directories
One of the criticisms leveled at the mainstream app stores is that they struggle under the weight of shovel-wear – that is, the volume of knock-off and clone games that crowd out quality titles. In light of this, there’s a growing trend towards offering bespoke alternatives to this experience for those willing to commit to a monthly subscription.
Without a doubt, the leading example of this trend is Apple Arcade – the Cupertino company’s ambitious foray into the world of gaming. In essence, Apple Arcade gives gamers the run of 200+ carefully selected games from the iOS app store all in exchange for a nominal monthly fee.
However, Apple Arcade is increasingly expanding into producing exclusive first-party titles from some of the industry’s leading names from Sega to Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, making this a compelling choice for mobile gamers who don’t want to compromise on quality.