Author -Yury Husak, Founder and CTO of Studio Cation, Published Feb. 2nd, 2024
Since their emergence, mobile games have made their way into the daily lives of millions of users around the world. They have become part of modern culture, accessible to everyone, captivating and immersive in their world. Like any industry, mobile games are constantly evolving, new trends appear in their development. Some of them pass immediately, some of them linger for a long time. Let’s take a look at some of these trends and see how new technologies and global trends affect the mobile gaming industry.
VR and AR in mobile games
With the development of virtual and augmented reality technologies, mobile gaming has entered a new era of interactivity and gamer engagement. Virtual reality immerses the player in a virtual world, completely changing their perception of their surroundings, while augmented reality augments the real world with visual and audio elements. Utilizing these technologies gives players the ability to interact with the virtual world in a more intuitive way.
In VR games, the gamer is fully immersed in the gameplay and can physically interact with objects using controllers, while AR allows the real world environment to be visually altered and augmented, adding virtual elements to it and making the game more interactive. The constant evolution of technology will open up new opportunities for developers and users of VR and AR games, offering unique immersive and interactive experiences.
The use of AI in mobile games
With the introduction of artificial intelligence, mobile games can provide gamers with a more immersive and in-depth game world. This trend not only pushes the boundaries of what games can do, but also personalizes the interaction with each user. Artificial intelligence is used to create characters that can adapt to the user’s actions, creating a unique experience for each gamer and making the game more engaging and personalized.
Artificial intelligence algorithms analyze actions, preferences and reactions, adjusting to each play style. For example, AI can offer personalized advice, hints, or set difficulty levels to match a gamer’s skill level. The use of artificial intelligence in mobile games opens up new opportunities for diversity, variation and individualization of the gaming experience. This not only enhances the quality of games, but also deepens the user’s interaction with the virtual world.
Multiplayer and social gaming
The COVID-19 pandemic had quite an impact on the popularity of social and multiplayer mobile games. This trend continues to this day: such games have become important in the mobile gaming industry. Such formats allow users to interact with each other in a virtual space, satisfying the desire for social interaction and competition. The ability to compete or collaborate with other players around the world is one of the key benefits of multiplayer games. For example, Battle Royale games have become popular due to the ability to bring hundreds of gamers together in a single virtual arena for a competitive fight for survival.
The social aspects of mobile games also play an important role in their appeal. Users can interact, share experiences and create their own communities within games. This approach strengthens the bond between gamers and allows for the creation of longer lasting relationships both within the game and with the game itself. With the advancement of augmented and virtual reality technologies, game worlds allow gamers to not only communicate through device screens, but also immerse themselves in shared spaces where they can interact as in real life.
Meta-gameplay in mobile games
Meta-gameplay is an increasingly important factor influencing the addictiveness and depth of gameplay. Meta-gameplay represents additional levels of interaction between the user and the game, revealing new facets of the game and connections to it. It provides the ability to carry events and decisions from one part of the game to another. This approach allows for a seamless world where every decision has consequences in the future. In addition, meta-gaming offers the possibility of cross-platform interaction. Users can save progress or interact with other players across devices and platforms, creating more dynamic and social game worlds.
The introduction of meta-gaming allows for the creation of competition and ranking systems where players can vie for titles, awards, and recognition within the gaming community. It often includes achievement systems that allow gamers to earn bonuses, unique items, or additional abilities when certain goals are achieved. Such content creates additional motivation for players and encourages them to explore the full range of the game’s features. Also, meta-gameplay allows for the creation of major events and updates that affect the entire game. Such events create an opportunity for developers to maintain long-term interest and capture players’ attention with new content.
Monetization through subscriptions in mobile games
The development of subscriptions as a monetization model in games provides developers with a unique opportunity to maintain a stable and predictable revenue stream. This, in turn, provides players with regular and quality updates. One of the key benefits of such a model is that it creates a stable and predictable financial base for developers, which allows them to focus on the quality of new content. It is worth considering that such a model requires careful analysis of audience preferences and needs.
Gamers also benefit from a subscription. They get access to all the features of game content without additional purchases or advertising. This contributes to deeper immersion in the game world, and regular updates and additions make the game more dynamic and exciting. However, this approach requires a clear balance between quality content and its frequency. Developers must provide players with new content on a regular basis to maintain interest and not lose subscribers.
Impact and prospects
With each new step in the development of technology, mobile games are gaining more and more impressive features. They are becoming an integral part of our culture, a way of communication and social engagement. We are seeing them go from being just entertainment to a platform that connects people from different parts of the world. Virtual worlds created by developers are becoming full-fledged communities where players can not only compete but also collaborate to create amazing projects. The future will bring even more innovations and opportunities to the world of mobile gaming. Technologies that are just emerging now will give users even more exciting game worlds, new ways to interact, and more cohesive and deeper communication with other players.
Sources:
The Big Trends – Part 10: Gaming, AR and VR, Simply Wall (https://simplywall.st)
New free report: Explore the global games market in 2023, Newzoo (https://newzoo.com/)
The Top 10 mobile games industry trends for 2023 and beyond, Pocket Gamer (https://pocketgamer.biz)
Subscription Monetization: A Big Mobile Gaming Trend, Udonis (https://blog.udonis.co)
