Gaming and mobile devices: the main trends for the two-year period 2023-2024
What should we expect from gaming on mobile devices for the two-year period 2023-24? Will the trends that dominated the past years accentuate or change in favor of something else?
The developers, precisely on the basis of the trends that have characterized the sector in the last period, have set some key points that will guide mobile gaming. The study of these trends depends on a series of factors, first of all the use of the medium, the smartphone in particular.
As underlined by the most recent Deloitte report – Digital Consumer Trends Survey 2022, Focus Italia – after the pandemic and a greater use of game consoles (probably due to the long periods of lock down and the possibility of making more use of fixed devices), the smartphone is once again the preferred tool for gaming.
The world of video games and online games in 2021 generated 180.3 billion dollars globally, while in Italy it reached 2.2 billion euros, with a growth of 2.9% compared to the previous year. A growing market, therefore, at a national and global level. The Deloitte report also underlines that, in our country, more than one in two adults play regularly on their smartphone, while at least one in three declares that they also use other devices, such as game consoles and PCs.
In fact, mobile has democratized gaming, expanding its audience and including more and more users. This is the main reason for such a prolific market, as IDC intelligence firm Data.ai points out.
Sociality, sharing, accessibility will be the main trends in mobile gaming. The key point remains precisely the idea of a usable and shareable game, reaching as many people as possible: even the smallest brands can aspire to exist and consolidate themselves in the market. The trick is to design a game that is instantly watchable and shareable, as well as playable.
Among the trends that will certainly not be missing in the next two years, is the online functionality in real time as player versus player. This aspect that focuses on connections and social experiences is fundamental in the gaming world in general, because it creates and supports online communities and favors their connection. This allows you to retain users, who will be led to share experiences and talk about the game through other channels, primarily social media.
A fundamental tool, precisely considering the centrality of sharing, is multimedia streaming.
While YouTube remains an important medium for sharing recorded video, Twitch is the true realm of live streaming and the preferred channel for sharing.
The use of famous streamers certainly contributes to the diffusion of the games. As Evoplay CCO Vladimir Malakchi said: “Marketing campaigns that leverage the influence of streamers often provide a fivefold increase in game revenue and a 30% increase in the number of players.”
Tom Verrilli, Chief Product Officer of Twitch, in an open letter, enumerated some recent innovations for streamers and some important developments for the future. These include streamlining the promotion of Twitch streams on other platforms for content discovery, as well as simplified ad scheduling. Such changes could lead to broader awareness campaigns and better monetization, while not changing streaming time.
