Intense competition from mobile gaming platforms is affecting overall sales of large companies such
as Nintendo, as Brits are expected to spend more on mobile games this year than on consoles.
Research firms IDC and App Annie predict in their recent report that games for devices running on Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android software are making four times what Nintendo’s and Sony’s handheld devices are making.
As we have reported here at Fortune Frenzy before, mobile gaming platforms are on the rise and their profits are relatively on the increase. It is estimated that 20m people in the UK play mobile games every single month, and are expected to pay as much as £300m overall on games throughout the year.
The market isn’t just driven by large developers like EA and Nintendo either. Many independent companies have the chance of rivalling these technology giants if they strike lucky in Apple or Google’s app stores.
However, some experts are criticising the goldrush nature of the industry in its current state, and that it’s becoming less about the art of gameplay and more about the science of making profit. Free-to-play games have been recently criticised for advertising their games as free, but then charging its users to reach various levels and acquiring certain bonuses.
Nonetheless, most developers agree that the industry of mobile gaming is centred around designing fun on a device of convenience. With the way the industry is going, these mobile games could be serious contenders for the top spot in terms of living room entertainment.
