What are the mobile gaming trends that will rule this 2022? Here’s our take.
The explosion of mobile gaming spanned several years. As the pandemic forced people to stay cooped up in their homes, many resorted to mobile gaming to ease their worries and while away the hours. This demand for mobile games became apparent, especially in 2020 when mobile games generated 72.3% of revenue for Android and iOS.
Demand for mobile games is understandable. On top of being convenient and accessible, mobile games afford simplicity and entertainment—things gamers rarely experience for desktop or console-ported games.
2022 Mobile Gaming Trends
With close to 3 billion mobile game players globally, it’s a safe bet to say demand will surge this 2022. What mobile gaming trends can we expect to see? Here are some of them:
PC-Quality Mobile Gaming Experience
One of the major draws of mobile games is their convenience. Players can bring their devices and play anywhere they want. However, this accessibility may mean settling for poor-quality graphics, visual effects, and animations. This 2022, however, players will expect more from developers.
One good news for developers is the rise of 5G. 5G will significantly impact the creation and use of apps, mainly when it comes to speed and efficiency. Developers can introduce new features negatively affecting app performance. More than that, 5G technology will open more opportunities for developers to innovate. Ideas will come to life.
Mobile Gamers as Huge Influencers
Another mobile gaming trend for 2022 is the rise of mobile gamers as huge influencers. As live streaming activities go mainstream, these players with huge followings will drive the popularity of mobile games.
Mobile game developers should rethink how to integrate their games with streaming channels. Once this is possible, mobile gamers can play and stream their games. These streaming activities can become potent promotional avenues. From merely watching their favorite gamers, spectators can download and play the games.
Ultimately, it will help widen the user base and increase the bottom line.
Increase in Genre-Specific Monetization Strategies
Another mobile gaming trend we will see this 2022 is the genre-specific focus when it comes to monetization. We’ll see more in-game ads for hyper-casual games, while core games like PUBG Mobile and Genshin Impact, subscription and in-app purchases will be the main monetization models.
IDFA Challenges for Developers
Developers will continue to face tough advertising issues because of IDFA privacy changes. It will be challenging to craft targeted advertising, directly impacting the degree of user acquisition and even monetization.
Increasing their user base will depend on how creative their marketing efforts will be. Publishers need to invest in exploring different avenues to make the ads stick out. With the way things are looking, creative teams integrated with data science efforts will bring in the numbers.
Hyper-Casual Games Remain In-Demand
Hyper-casual games will continue to dominate the mobile gaming charts. Users have downloaded more than 10 billion mobile games in 2020. In 2021, this gaming genre accounted for 37% of all mobile games downloaded.
As we expect the demand for hyper-casual games to continue this year, there are important considerations to note. Along with this demand will be the call for better quality games and intuitive mechanics. It’s no longer acceptable for players to settle for poorly conceptualized and developed games. Hyper-casual games will need to discover and recruit more highly talented developers to ensure they can provide bespoke models, visual effects, and animations that will make them stand out in the highly saturated market.
Development of new technologies and gaming engines, it’s no longer surprising to see the mobile gaming industry rise and open opportunities for further development. That said, developers and advertisers should watch out for these mobile gaming trends. Use these to guide them about new monetization strategies and their adoption.
If you’re planning to develop a mobile gaming app, connect with our team of experts to help you come up with a winning strategy that will help you win new users and match the current mobile gaming trends of 2022 and beyond.
