The gaming industry is all about introducing newness to the games so that more of the fanbase could be created. And this rule is being followed by puzzle game developers in recent years, where they have added different meta layers to the main core gameplay.
This will surely be a gaming trend in the upcoming years. For now, successful games like Clockmaker, Homescapes, Gardenscapes, Project Makeover are puzzle games that have included more meta layers and, rather than focusing on one set of the audience, are preferred to attract a number of audiences. Another way of attracting an audience is via promotion; you can secretly forward text messages (android) to attract new audiences.
Consumer Spending Driven By Core Titles
So readers, games like PUBG Mobile, Roblox, Genshin Impact etc. these all are core games. Now, we need not tell you about their popularity. So these core titles for sure dominated the whole gaming industry in terms of gross revenue. They generate their gross revenue from in-app purchases and subscriptions. None can say that these are not going to be a trend in upcoming times, too, offering more and more IAP games with in-game ads boosting add on to revenue and in-app purchases.
Subscription-Based Monetization: Best Way to Earn
Nowadays, most games need a subscription to continue, and as per Sensor Tower’s Industry Trends reports, top-grossing games have subscriptions quite common. Subscription is a way to earn money from developers, and so one can expect this to become a trend in upcoming years.
Games like Battle passes (Fortnite, PUBG Mobile), VIP access ( wheel of fortune), booster subscription ( Boom Beach), Remove ads subscription ( sand Balls) are some of them which ask for subscriptions for various things and hence those become an add on to earn along with in-app purchases.
Social Features are the one which are Focused
Readers, gaming communities are a core of the gaming industry, and these communities have become way strong. Whereas PC and gaming consoles were superior because they offered interaction and connection but now times have changed. The pandemic left people craving for more interaction with others and that social experience, even if they are virtual. This situation is what led to giving more emphasis on social features.
These social features are like in-game chat, social media connection, guilds, co-op modes, PvP modes etc. What enhances the gaming experience and all the games affects at least one of them to the players.
A statement by Facebook reveals that 4 in 10 (38%) new gamers in the US prefer to chat with others while playing compared to 3 in 10( 29%). Other gamers in the US revealed the same. We can see that many mobile games have begun expansion and improvement on social features. These social features have an advantage other than interaction which is monetization.
Thinking about it?
So the answer is, one can flaunt their avatar, skins, gears etc. Even improve their user retention and can get a chance to monetize. Some games offering social features are Call of Duty: Mobile ( hangout rooms), Roblox ( one can enjoy shows), Pocketgamers ( this game has transformed offering a new social experience named mobile social 2.0)
Watching is Better Choice than Playing
The pandemic has drastically changed the gaming industry. Mobile esports has become a booming trend and will continue in 2022 too. As per the data reports, in 2020, the esports audience will grow to half a billion, and it will rise to a high level as now players prefer to watch rather than play.
Watching gaming content is highly favoured. According to Nielsen, 71% of millennial gamers prefer to watch gaming content on YouTube or Twitch-like platforms. Also, players aged between 18-25 look for gamers to play rather than traditional playing.
This watching trend has shown a mirror to the game developer that they need to change their strategies and develop an integration between the games they develop and platforms like Twitch and YouTube. This will create a wider fanbase and also make it easy for the gamers to play and stream. For example, a US representative once played Among Us and streamed live. Around 400K people watched it. This means it is highly preferred. The streaming offers free promotion/paid promotion which can boost the download numbers by influencing the people.
Mergers and acquisitions will keep Pacing
The gaming industry is changing with time and introducing newer things. One of them is mergers and acquisitions. In recent years, the mergers have increased, and according to Newzoo, in 2021, the number of signing such deals has expanded. If talking about some significant deals of acquisition in 2020and 2021, then Zynga and Embracer groups are the major ones.
On one side where the gaming giant Zynga acquired Turkey-based developers Peak games and Rollic games, and in 2020, they announced the acquisition of a Chinese studio- Starlark too.
On the other hand, talking about the Embracer group, they acquired seven studios in total, which includes the Demiurge Studio, Crazy labs. In total, they will be spending $2 billion on M and A by 2022.
Conclusion
Hence the upcoming years are going to be a big turning twist for the gaming industry. Many mobile gaming market trends will change the dynamics of the industry and will help create a more expanded fanbase and audience. According to the reports by Newzoo, around 3.07 billion mobile gamers will be there in 2023 across the globe creating new opportunities for the mobile gaming industry.
