Few people anticipated the rise of mobile gaming as an incredibly profitable segment of the entertainment industry when it first appeared in the early 2000s. What began as a place for rudimentary, time-passing games like Snake or Tetris on the first cellular devices, has now become a massive global industry worth more than 90 billion dollars each year.
The transition from mere entertainment to blowing up into complex ecosystems has fundamentally altered aspects of game development, publication, and monetization. Today mobile games such as Candy Crush Saga, Genshin Impact, and Roblox are not only “games” but are also digital empires generating millions of dollars in revenue from in-app purchases, cross-platform branding, and user-generated activities.
The underlying force for this transformation is accessibility. Gaming became democratic thanks to smartphones. It became a common activity for those commuting on the train, for parents waiting for their kids, and even today’s retirees who were discovering fun and activities on the digital smartphone or tablet for the first time.
Candy Crush Saga is probably the best example of this approach, where it took simple puzzle-style mechanics for a free game and created a multi-billion dollar empire for things like extra lives and power-ups. Suddenly, what looked like a harmless little casual game turned into one of the most profitable mobile games of all time, showing that mobile games can also compete with AAA+ videogame franchises.
Data, Monetization, and the Power of Retention
With increasing sophistication of mobile games, along came data analytics. Games were no longer static, they were dynamic systems that adapted to player feedback and behavior.
Genshin Impact is a perfect example. It has gathered a status of cult game in barely months after its release, blending anime culture with RPG gaming as the game combines open-world exploration with a “gacha” mechanism, in which players earn characters by random draws.
And other successful games like Genshin Impact, which include Candy Crush or Clash of Clans have taken many of their strategies from other entertainment industries that have proven successful by implementing data analysis in their game development practices.
An example of an industry that meets this criteria is the casino gaming industry, which has been an example since they were one of the first gaming industries to migrate to the online world, taking the traditional casino games they deliver in an online form dating back to the late 1990’s.
Today, many online casinos are using data-based insights to find the right balance between user fun and retention by providing attractive and relevant incentives that align with user wants and needs. Bonuses can take any form, from welcome bonuses, to free throws or anything to provide users with additional reason to remain connected and perhaps find some extra time to play.
Mobile gaming monetization tactics have advanced impressively, with the whale model being a case in point. The model acknowledges that a very small percentage of players drive most of the revenue. Thus, developers will attempt to design in-game economies that appeal to casual players as well as the hefty spenders. In addition, ad-based monetization helps ensure that even free players contribute to the revenue through impressions and video views. For example, Roblox has gone even further by establishing entire economies for specific games, where players can create, sell, and generate profit selling virtual goods.
Cross-Media Expansion and the Future of Casual Gaming
What makes mobile games digital empires is their capacity to stretch beyond the platform. Popular games no longer live solely in the app store; they have extended into fashion, television and even education. For example, Roblox has developed into a creative ecosystem in which users, like you, are able to create their own games and monetize their game creations. It is a social network, business platform, and a creative kit rolled into one. The expansion of Roblox has made it a cultural phenomenon; young audiences, in particular, view it as a digital playground where imagination and economy meet.
On the other hand, Genshin Impact instead put a heavier focus on world-building and depth with the story. The game has graphics similar to anime and has moved from mobile to console and PC. There is a giant worldwide fandom that has engaged with the game by not just playing, but creating fan art, collaborating in music, and hosting fandom events.
It is possible that the mobile gaming future follows the same trajectory as streaming platforms have. Just like how Netflix and Spotify have created a more personal level of entertainment, mobile games too, will continue to make themselves tailored to all of our habits and preferences further improving our gaming experience.