Mobile Gaming to Increase Significantly by 2016

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Technology expert Juniper Research has released an intriguing market research report that forecasts significant growth for mobile gaming. The June 2014 report speculates that mobile gaming revenue rise from a value of $20.9 billion in 2014 to be worth $28.9 billion in 2016, representing a major increase of 38% and drawing attention to what appears to be a high-growth market over the coming months ahead.

Change in User Focus

In recent years, developers have predominantly focused on acquiring large volumes of casual players to engage with their free-to-play games. Popular web games like Candy Crush Saga and Grepolis attempt to generate revenue by drawing in players and later spurring them to spend by money by offering to speed up levelling processes and increase the proliferation of special extras.

But rather than focus on acquiring players in high volumes, developers are instead going to leverage the power of mobile analytics to a greater extent than ever before. The aim is to evaluate the behaviour and preferences of players with a view to enhancing engagement for longer periods of time. In turn, this will ideally lead to an increase in the effectiveness of monetisation strategies for developers.

Tablet Users to Spend More

Another notable topic covered in the report is the forecast that tablet users will account for larger spending than their smartphone counterparts. However, it is inevitable that there will be some crossover between these users. Tablets have merely become a better device for gaming than smartphones, so users will choose to spend more time on these where possible.

Understandably, the report explains that tablet users could spend more on app-related purchases because of the enhanced performance. Tablets typically have faster processors and can be expected to deliver superior graphics. Players have an easier time reading small pieces of information displayed on the screen.

Implications for Gaming Industry

Strong global gaming sales for PS4s, XBOX Ones, and PCs tell us that these platforms are still giving players a craving to play their games. The commitment required by those games is largely more demanding and offer an all-round deeper experience than the mobile games analysed by Juniper.

What we could see is an increase in the release of mobile games that demand a player’s long-term attention. They still need to be able to dip in and out, but they need to have mobile games that strike the optimal balance between casual and depth.

Change for Mobile Casino Apps

Casino software developers have been historically slow in developing mobile games because of the various different platforms in the way of widespread compatibility. It was most common for a site to unveil an Apple app before an Android app, and there might never be Windows or BlackBerry apps.

However, developers like Microgaming are getting around this by instead choosing to develop on HTML5 and give players access to games straight through their browsers as opposed to apps. This allows for a larger release and improved accessibility for players. Consequently, there could be a slide in dedicated apps for specific platforms.

Extinction for PC Casinos

Online casino websites are always going to maintain a PC platform because this is also shared by laptops. And while PCs are diminishing in popularity, laptops are certainly not. People require these for work and to perform more complex tasks that cannot adequately be undertaken by tablet devices.

That being said, casino websites that attempt to exclusively serve PCs and laptop players could become extinct. These sites just won’t stand a chance of competing with online casinos offering a diverse mobile experience across smartphones and tablets. These operators must take action before it is too late.