When you look at mobile app industry trends, you will see that the gaming industry is growing exponentially. Undoubtedly the gaming industry is increasing day by day. Because of the surge in demand for these apps due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the industry has become more lucrative.
As per statista, this is the market revenue worldwide from 2015 to 2020, broken down by region. The region of Asia remains the largest gaming market on the ground of revenues, which has an estimation to reach 84.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2020. So, if you are looking to leap into this industry, then this is the right time. However, you must be aware that you would be witnessing some new gaming trends in the year ahead.
In this article, we would be covering the upcoming mobile game trends that you need to be aware of. We are trying to give you an idea of the origins of these trends and their impact on the market.
MOBILE GAME DEVELOPMENT TRENDS TO LOOK OUT IN 2021
In 2019, As per The Guardian, more than $86bn (£66bn) was spent on mobile gaming, making the sector more extensive than the rest of the app industry in total. So, it's imperative to know the new trends in the industry that would come in 2021.
VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY
The latest trend in the industry is virtual reality. It helps to give the audience an immersive experience. VR has not just only made an impact on the gaming industry. It has also seen its use grow outside of gaming and entertainment industry. Design firms, marketing outfits, and even in medicine, experts are now founding new uses of it.
It may be costly to have VR headsets on the market now, but you can expect that to change soon. For most gamers out there, they'll quickly become affordable. It can be said that the next major thing is going to be VR. That makes it one of the trends in mobile game growth to consider.
To turn the real world into a game, AR uses technologies like GPS, computer graphics, and others. While VR will present a whole new world, AR will alter the existing world. A good example of AR is Pokémon Go. However, AR has not entirely evolved and is in the initial stages, but it will be the next big thing.
ESPORTS
Esports is a type of sporting competition that uses video games. It often takes the form of multiplayer video game competitions, especially between professional players, either individually or as a team.
We have seen the professionalization of gaming in the past decades. With mass audiences complete with live analysts and broadcasts, gaming events are taking place in large stadiums. On YouTube or Twitch, millions of fans worldwide watch their favorite players. Moreover, in their own right, professional gamers are now known as athletes.
The fact that games have no connection to the site due to cloud technology will also influence the user's consumption. Users will pay for in-game content and the social side of games like community access, not the platform.
REMAKING OR REMASTERING OLD GAMES
In the gaming world, remastered games are fueled by nostalgia. And, for major titles, the remastering of the previous versions is on its way in 2020. In terms of graphics, these games will not just be better. They will also have reinterpretation by developers and bring nuances to the mechanics and attributes corresponding to the 2020 market.
Nobody can resist the magic of playing the games of their childhood. So, remaking old video games is undoubtedly one of the trends in mobile games' development to look out for. Moreover, you can attract a larger audience if remade games follow the latest game design trends. Although, your primary audience for such games would be adults. However, by adding graphics or new features, you can also attract younger users.
The possibility of backward compatibility with consoles of previous generations and remastering of old games for which there is practically no suitable hardware must be maintained to provide players with the ability to play old games.
OFFERING CROSS-PLAY OPTIONS
Game platforms can provide both partial and full support for other venues due to cloud gaming. This can be an advantage for your audience as they have their favorite platforms. As not everyone can afford both and Xbox, cross-platform gaming can also help you get a wide range of audiences. The demand for cross-play from customers is rising. While on the other hand, the platform owners also want to retain their loyal audience.
The majority of the games are now offering cross-platform support despite some technical glitches. One of those mobile game development trends, which will only see an increase from here onwards, is the cross-platform gaming option.
A TOOL FOR EDUCATION
According to general perception, education and gaming cannot go along. A lot of parents are not very happy to see their kids playing games all day. Also, the Covid-19 pandemic led to schools' closure across the globe so many parents are unable to find activities to keep their children busy.
Games will transform the educational system in the future, too. Of course, they will not replace the lessons entirely, but rather become an addition to them. The skills that they acquire through such games will be applicable, both in school and at work. Also, not only kids but adults can use games to increase their financial literacy.
INCREASING THE SOCIAL ASPECT
The socializing part of our lives has taken a massive hit during the Covid-19 pandemic. People were confined to their homes with no social interaction. This is where online games come in to play. They have been the primary source to fulfill our social needs. But we see a trend that will continue well into the future.
If players make friends with individuals in the game, they will spend more time in the game. Spending more time on the game also means that the subscription period is likely to increase for gamers. Also, developers can now benefit from having a lively user community as they can collaborate on improving gaming features and experiences with them.
With COVID 19 still far from over, it seems that people will be working remotely for some time. So, one of the mobile game development trends is to increase the social aspect of your dream game.
Final Word
These are some of the game development trends that you will see in 2021. However, let's just not limit ourselves to these only. For many, 2020 was not a very good year as many businesses and industries were failing. However, the gaming industry did not witness the same fate. The sudden boom in demand for gaming due to the pandemic has made the gaming industry much more lucrative.
Games are no longer for just teens or kids. They are now gaining the interest of every age group. Today, everybody seems to be a part of gaming somehow. All the time, media crossovers happen. Moreover, games are now turned into a series of books or movies and vice versa.
Product placement is also prevalent in games. Thanks to our smartphones, we bring gaming everywhere we go; we have become targets for in-game advertising. Gaming has emerged as a force. It has grown far beyond consoles and PC.
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