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以全面视角分析移动游戏市场的机遇与挑战

发布时间:2013-01-05 14:40:31 Tags:,,,

作者:Matt Haggerty

移动游戏市场正在崛起。Avista Partners最新数据显示,该市场在2012年创造的价值可能接近78亿美元,预计2016年将达到183亿美元。由于相对较低的准入门槛,无论是独立领域还是资深领域的移动游戏开发者,他们都有望通过学习、创意、努力、外加一丝运气,在该市场上独树一帜。

在谈及移动游戏开发时,我们首先应谈谈移动设备。

mobile game(from gamesindustry)

mobile game(from gamesindustry)

近5年来,移动设备技术已发生迅猛进展。该行业过去的领先者Ressearch In Motion(RIM)已从鼎盛期走向没落,而苹果与谷歌这些新晋者则以迅猛之势占据整个市场。它们之间的激烈竞争已催生出某些惊人的未来设备,借此逐渐掌控整个世界。这些新型移动设备均具备优于大部分显示器的高密度像素屏幕,其无线网络速度可与宽带相媲美,且处理器囊括台式机的众多核心组件。

诸如iPhone 5、Nexus 4与Windows Phone 8X这些一流设备分别拥有326ppi、320ppi与342ppi的分辨率。Speedtest.net表示,LTE无线网络连接的平均速度大约是14兆/秒(下载速度)与5兆/秒(上传速度)。这种速度比得上Comcast的Performance有线互联网服务,后者宣传其下载速度可达到20兆/秒以上,上传速度可达到4兆/秒以上。此外,iPad 4与Nexus 10这些平板电脑均在强大的4核CPU上运行,而我们在5年前从未想过能够取得这种成就。

目前移动技术正以稳定速度发展?我们难以解答,但也许是“有点”。目前的设备尺寸似乎已固定在某些最佳范围。一般是10英寸与7英寸(游戏邦注:根据对角线测量)。三星的Galaxy Note打算进军5英寸的“手机平板电脑”形式,但其它平板电脑制造商似乎仍迟疑着是否随波逐流。

最近,高端手机(比如Android手机)倾向于采用大屏幕模式。比如Nexus 4与Galaxy Slll的屏幕面积已接近5英寸,而苹果在iPhone 5上仍坚持4英寸屏幕,HTC则在Windows Phone 8X上采用4.3英寸屏幕。我们预计,未来几年,用户将有望看到大部分屏幕规格在4-5英寸之间的智能手机。这种尺寸刚好适合口袋与钱包大小,同时能够兼容高容量电池。

尽管外形已经定格,设备的内外组件仍能得到改善。在提高电池技术方面,工程师应设法制作出高效电路,那样,用户才有可能持续目睹CPU与GPU在速度方面的进展。此外,无线运营商会继续通过扩大高速网络在发达与发展中国家的覆盖范围,争夺订阅用户。

尽管这些附加性能与功能需要额外动力,但最终我们可能有望见到具备长达一周或更久电池寿命的主流智能手机的出现。要知道,电池技术对移动电子产品以外的其它行业也十分重要。无论是汽车、电力、还是医疗方面,任何一个行业在该方面的突破性进展,都会造福所有行业。

设备仅仅是移动游戏开发的一部分。如果没有用户的参与,它们将变得毫无价值。

似乎,各行各业的人们正在寻找设备的使用方式。令人惊讶的是,有些自闭症儿童从设备的使用过程中找到了快乐,而且智能手机游戏可以减缓阿尔茨海默症(老年痴呆症)的发作。

Nielsen指出:“截止2012年7月,有55.5%美国手机用户人手各持一部智能手机,比去年同期41%的比例有所增长。”与此同时,“目前大部分美国青少年(58%)均拥有智能手机,”比2011年增加了61%,此外,“目前有74%的美国中年人拥有智能手机。”从美国地区近3个月手机的持有比例可知,Android以超过50%的比例独占鳌头,iPhone以34%的比例紧随其后,黑莓则以8%的比例位列第三。Windows Phone以4%左右的市场占有率位居第四。

鉴于它们的小型市场份额,Windows Phone与黑莓并非发挥重大作用的移动游戏平台,尽管有些开发商采用的是“在小池塘钓大鱼的举措”。由于这两个平台拥有较小市场规模,因此游戏在Android与iOS平台上更易获得曝光度。Windows Phone的一个潜在优势可能是微软Xbox强大的品牌效应。如果微软能结合Xbox主机的广泛名气与其日益重要的Windows Phone平台,那么该公司可能有机会成为移动游戏巨头。

windows games(from gamesindustry)

windows games(from gamesindustry)

虽然智能手机的使用幅度与接受程度已在美国市场取得快速进展,但其它国家的增长势头更胜一筹。根据移动分析公司Flurry的相关数据可知,中国连网活跃设备的年增长率(从2011年7月至2012年7月)为401%,智利是279%,巴西是220%,阿根廷是217%。单从中国来看,“该市场已拥有1亿多台的新型活跃设备”,而且“中国活跃设备安装量可能会在2012假日之前赶超美国。”

active devices(from Flurry)

active devices(from Flurry)

同时,智能手机用户的增长将会继续扩大游戏与应用玩家数量。为了获得成功,开发商将不得不继续思考软件本土化与访问性问题。巨大的全球市场将会继续为那些致力于用户界面优化、文本翻译的软件开发者创造巨大商机。

除了来自软件的无形回报,移动支付技术也将创造许多商机。随着用户越发习惯与熟悉这种新型技术,我们预计,他们将会更乐于利用智能手机进行购物。

移动付费存在多种形式,可以是近距离无线通讯技术(游戏邦注:near field technology,简称NFC),或是诸如Square的设备附加装置,又或是传统在线付费模式。我们预计,到2012年底,开发商将会通过这些方式实现1715亿美元的全球移动交易额。

移动交易创下的巨额价值已经激发移动游戏业务的大幅增长。

由于市场的巨大潜力,移动业务模式也是多种多样。单单游戏方面便有多种盈利渠道。主要业务种类包括设备内置游戏、游戏系统与承包。然而,我们可以混搭这些类型,以实现某个特定组织的目标。

设备内置游戏拥有多种盈利方式。首先,免费广告可以通过提供免费游戏,利用其中植入的广告横幅获利,从而发挥作用。这种模式十分适合拥有大批用户基础或多余屏幕面积的游戏。

接着是着眼于有效采用IAP购买模式获利的免费与付费模式。它可以通过在Android与iOS操作系统上创建服务项目直接获利,或是提供Tapjoy这种付费墙服务间接盈利。它们是大多数移动游戏创收的不错选择。玩家有机会选择自己的投入程度与交易方式。

同比付费墙服务,IAP的直接盈利方式能够降低购买障碍。然而,前者能够产生更多收益。有时,我们可以明智地在某款游戏中同时植入这两种盈利选项。

最后是传统付费模式,即用户购买软件可产生收益。在此,相关调查表明,iOS平台上的此项收益额远高于Android平台,两者之间大约呈10:1的比例。

除上述模式,开发商还可以选择基于订阅模式的盈利渠道。有时,玩家可以通过游戏订阅获得定期服务,或是让游戏账户定期获得虚拟商品。其实,这种盈利手段就是玩家有意愿地与开发商进行价值交换的模式。

接下来是相对新型的移动游戏系统市场。虽然同比设备内置游戏,该市场的玩家数更趋少量,但相应市场进入门槛则更高。这并不意味着要创造出下一款热门新型平板电脑或智能手机,而是利用创意分解出一个全新的小众市场。在此,两个典型的移动游戏系统是Sphero与Ouya。

由于较高的市场进入门槛,这两家公司均得采用外部集资策略。Supero由风险投资支撑,而Ouya则通过Kickstarter活动筹集资金。现在,预测这两家公司的发展形势还为时过早,但我们应给予持续关注。

最后是正在盛行的承包业务模式,即开发团队为他人制作移动软件。该模式横跨移动游戏与应用两方面。移动软件开发需要高需求,但对开发者的技术要求相对较低。简单的经济模式便能完成这个愿景。对于那些有意涉入移动开发领域的人来说,游戏制作可能是个有趣起点。

对移动游戏开发本质感兴趣的新开发者应考虑涉猎《Beginning Android Games》或《Beginning iOS Game Development》这类书籍。而对其他人而言,制作移动游戏并不一定需要详细了解Java、C++、OpenGL或SQL。各种工具、引擎与平台可以提供有效辅助;但重点是选择最佳方式。注意,我们可以使用的工具与引擎包括:AndEngien、LibGDX、GameMaker与Unity。

AndEngine与LibGDX属于开放性免费引擎,而Unity与GameMaker则需要游戏工作室投入几百到几千美元不等的费用。相对而言,AndEngine引擎较易使用,但它仅局限于Android平台,LibGDX比较复杂,但却支持跨平台发行。同时,GameMaker与Unity也包含跨平台发行功能,但它们具有更完整性能,且需要较少编程知识,同时比起AndEngine或LibGDX,它不大具有可调性。在GameMaker与Unity两者之间,打算涉入2D休闲游戏制作的开发者可能倾向于选择前者,而对2D与3D游戏都感兴趣的开发者会考虑使用后者。

值得一提的是,游戏领域还存在其它工具与引擎(游戏邦注:比如Cocos2d-x、Marmalade与Battery Tech SDK),它们的作用取决于应用类型。如果需要某个物理引擎,那么Box2D(支持C++语言编写)可能是个不错选择。

上述工具与引擎将有助于游戏开发顺利进行,而增添社交层面则能够提高覆盖率、留存率与收益。社交平台已经简单化全球排行榜、成就与玩家对话这些性能的添加,而它们最初是由PC游戏与Xbox 360主机开创的。

我们还应注意到Gree、Scoreloop、Papaya与Swarm(又名SwarmConnect)这些游戏公司。它们为制作更具社交性游戏的开发者提供了免费软件开发包与服务。在表面上,这些平台似乎极为相似,但在营销方面,开发者将会发现其API深度、速度与易用性方面的巨大差异。比如,Swarm支持开发者通过预先构建画面快速部署社交性能,或是自定义针对全套API的体验模式。

在创造完移动游戏之后,下一步我们应考虑发行方面。

iOS平台上仅存在一种应用发行渠道,即通过苹果的App Store。而Windows Phone会通过Apps+Games Store发行,黑莓则选择自己的App World。Android平台上存在大量市场,但目前为止,Google Play是最佳选择。

作为Android的另一种选择,亚马逊针对该平台的Appstore可能位居第二,这得归结于其最先装载在Kindle设备上。由于Android出自谷歌之手,因此Google Play可能会继续主导Android游戏与应用市场,只要Kindles兴盛不衰,亚马逊也许会继续以较大差距保持第二名次。

任何关于移动游戏与应用市场的探讨都会涉及到相关挑战。而不同游戏平台面对的挑战也大相径庭。在Android与iOS这些大型平台上获得曝光具有更大难度,且需投入更多成本,但相应回报也不容小觑。

如今,移动市场上存在成千上万款游戏与应用,而营销是开发商的制胜关键。相关选项包括传统横幅广告与付费墙服务。前者在每个用户获取上的成本各不相同,而后者能够保证固定的下载价格(通常在横幅广告中占据一小部分)。

随着大型开发商进军移动游戏领域,独立开发者将会面临更大困境。EA这类公司会透过投入巨额预算让其AAA游戏位居榜单之首。而位居榜首并不能保证应用有望成功,只是加大其蹿红机会。

致力于获得曝光的开发者可能会考虑与大型开发商合作,效仿PopCannibal的《Girls Like Robots》(游戏邦注:由Ziba Scott与Luigi Guatieri着手制作)。这款出色的益智游戏可能会因为与Cartoon Network的Adult Swim频道的合作关系而为人所知。

在移动游戏开发方面,无论是独立还是主流工作室,他们均发现这与其它平台存在明显差异,比如主机、PC、或Facebook这类基于网页的游戏。

除处理能力的差异,通常移动设备的屏幕面积十分有限,游戏控制必须依靠触屏模式(但也存在例外,比如Sony的Xperia Play或iCade这种平板电脑配件)。也就是说,移动游戏开发者不能着重关注复杂的用户界面。

与此同时,用户意识也十分重要。由于在应用商店推出的移动游戏能够吸引大批用户,商店内也设置了评级系统,因此相应开发商希望这些作品可以取得更大成就。但是不了解或不喜爱硬核游戏的休闲玩家极易造成这类游戏等级的大幅降低。而糟糕的等级则意味着萧条的下载量,因此可能会挫败渴望在此大展宏图的开发者。

同比主机或PC游戏,移动游戏业务往往依赖较高的单位容量。通常,移动游戏行业取得的成功是基于上百万的下载规模,因为移动玩家的不愿支付大笔费用限制了每次下载的收益。同时,这也强调了制作出有趣移动游戏的重要性。Rovio的《愤怒的小鸟》与Popcap的《植物大战僵尸》便是这方面的典范。

这种吸引大众观念也揭示了移动游戏与Facebook游戏制作之间的互通性。虽然这并不适合所有情况,但从历史上看,诸如Zynga的《FarmVile》与《Mafia Wars》这些在Facebook盛行的游戏同样在移动平台上拥有相应的效仿之作,比如Storm8的《Farm Story》与《iMobsters》。除了巨大吸引力,Zynga与Storm8也倾注大量的时间与精力用于分析、A/B测试与游戏优化。

无论你是某家资深工作室的一员,或只是利用空闲时间开发移动游戏学得一点皮毛,这种经历都会既给你带来回报,同时也带来快乐。游戏行业正在迅速发生变化,但幸运的是,目前所有迹象均表明它正向扩展规模方面快速进展。(本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译,拒绝任何不保留版权的转载,如需转载请联系:游戏邦

The State of Mobile Game Development

by Matt Haggerty

Swarm co-founder Matt Haggerty offers a comprehensive look at the challenges and opportunities in mobile gaming today

The mobile game market is exploding. Recent data from Avista Partners shows that the value of the mobile game market in 2012 will likely be around $7.8 billion and is projected to grow to $18.3 billion in 2016. Thanks to relatively low barriers to entry, mobile game developers from indies to veterans have a shot at capturing some of this large pie through education, creativity, hard work, and a bit of luck.

When it comes to mobile game development, the story starts with the devices themselves.

Mobile device technology has been evolving rapidly over the last five years. The industry leader of yesteryear, Research In Motion (RIM), has gone from a hailed industry leader to a lagging market participant while newcomers such as Apple (AAPL) and Google (GOOG) have taken the market by storm. The fierce competition between these giants has created strikingly futuristic devices that, quite literally, put the world in the palm of our hands. New mobile devices have screens with pixel densities superior to most monitors, wireless internet speeds as fast as many broadband connections, and processors with as many cores as desktop PCs.

Flagship devices such as the iPhone 5, Nexus 4, and Windows Phone 8X weigh in at 326 pixels per inch (ppi), 320 pixels per inch (ppi), and 342 pixels per inch (ppi) respectively. According to Speedtest.net, LTE wireless internet connectivity average speeds are roughly 14Mbit/sec down and 5Mbit up (on Verizon). These speeds are comparable to Comcast’s Performance cable internet service, which advertises download speeds of up to 20Mbit/sec and uploads up to 4Mbit/sec. Additionally, tablets such as the iPad 4 and Nexus 10 sport powerful quad core CPUs, an unthinkable achievement five years ago.

Is mobile technology stabilizing? It’s not an easy question, but perhaps the answer is “somewhat.” Physical device sizes seem to be settling on a few different sweet spots. For a few years now, tablets have been settling in on form factors that measure roughly 10 inches and 7 inches diagonally. Samsung has made a foray into the 5-inch “phablet” form factor with its Galaxy Note, but other tablet manufacturers seem to be a bit hesitant to follow suit.

High end mobile phones (and most Android phones for that matter) have been trending toward larger screens as of late. The Nexus 4 and Galaxy SIII are remarkably close to a 5-inch form factor while Apple chose to stick to a 4-inch screen for the iPhone 5 and HTC opted for a 4.3-inch screen on the Windows Phone 8X. It’s likely that consumers can expect to see a majority of smartphones in the 4- to 5-inch range for the foreseeable future. Devices of this size are still small enough to fit in most pockets or purses while still offering ample screen real estate and room for high-capacity batteries.

Even though form factors have standardized, device components inside and out can still be improved. As battery technology improves and engineers find ways to make circuits more efficient, consumers will likely continue to see advancements in CPU and GPU speeds. And wireless carriers will continue to compete for subscribers by expanding their high speed networks in both developed and developing nations.

Despite these extra features and functions that require additional power, we may eventually see mainstream smartphones achieving battery life of a week or more. Keep in mind that battery technology is important to a variety of industries outside of mobile electronics. From automobiles to power to medical, a breakthrough in any one industry may be a boon to all industries.

Devices are only one part of the equation. Without users, devices are lifeless.

It seems that people from nearly all walks of life are finding ways to engage with mobile devices. There have been some amazing stories about how kids with autism have been able to find joy in using tablets and how smartphone games may help slow the onset of Alzheimer’s.

According to Nielsen, “55.5 percent of US mobile phone users own a smartphone as of July [2012], up from 41 percent in the year-earlier period.” The same source states that “the majority of American teens (58 percent) now own smartphones” which represents about a 61 percent increase from 2011, and “74 percent of 25-34 year olds [in the US] now own smartphones.” In terms of handsets obtained within the last three months in the US, Android leads the pack at over 50 percent, the iPhone comes in at 34 percent, and Blackberry trails with 8 percent. Windows Phone picks up the fourth place slot at around 4 percent share.

Given their small market share, Windows Phone and Blackberry aren’t very relevant mobile gaming platforms, though some developers have taken the “big fish in a small pond approach.” Since the markets for these two platforms are smaller, achieving visibility for a title can be easier than on Android and iOS. Furthermore, a potential saving grace for Windows Phone may be Microsoft’s powerful Xbox brand. If Microsoft can create synergy between its wildly popular Xbox console and its up-and-coming Windows Phone platform, the firm may have a shot at becoming a mobile gaming powerhouse.

Smartphone use and adoption is rapid in the U.S., but many other countries are seeing even more explosive growth. According to mobile analytics company Flurry, year-over-year growth of net active devices (from July 2011 to July 2012) grew by 401 percent in China, 279 percent in Chile, 220 percent in Brazil, and 217 percent in Argentina just to name a few. In China alone, “more than 100 million active new devices entered the market” and “China’s active installed base could overtake the United States as early as the 2012 holiday season.”

This increase in smartphone use will continue to broaden the already wide spectrum of users that interact with games and apps. To be successful, developers will have to be continuously mindful of software localization and accessibility. The huge global market will continue to create massive opportunities for software creators that dedicate time to polishing user interfaces, translating text, and generating mass appeal.

In addition to the intangible rewards that come from delivering software to the hands of millions, financial rewards will continue to become more abundant as well. As users become more accustomed and familiar with this relatively new technology, it can be expected that they will also be more comfortable making purchases through the smartphone medium.

Mobile payments already come in a variety of forms from near field technology (NFC), to device attachments such as Square, to more traditional online payments. All of these methodologies have resulted in worldwide mobile transaction values that are projected to reach $171.5 billion by the end of 2012.

This astronomical value of mobile transactions has spurred the growth of numerous mobile gaming businesses.

With such a huge potential market, mobile business models are plentiful. Within the gaming sector alone, businesses have a variety of avenues to choose from. Major business categories include on-device gaming, gaming systems, and contracting. However, these categories can be mixed and matched to meet the goals of a particular organization.

In the on-device gaming category, there are few general methods for monetizing. First, the Free-With-Ads Model works by giving the game away for free and earning revenue for displaying advertisement banners in the game. This model tends to work well for games that have large user bases or screen real estate to spare.

Then, there are the Freemium and Paymium Models which focus on the effective implementation of in-app purchases of digital goods. The in-app purchases can come directly in the form of cash through offerings built into the Android or iOS operating systems, or they can come indirectly through the use of offer-wall services like Tapjoy. Freemium and Paymium Models are good choices for most mobile games. They offer players the opportunity to choose their preferred level of engagement and value exchange.

Direct cash in-app purchases typically reduce purchasing friction as compared to offer-wall services. However, offer-wall services help generate revenue from users with more time (and less money) on their hands. In some cases, it can be a prudent strategy to include both monetization options in a single title.

Finally, the traditional Paid Model generates revenue when users purchase the software. Within the Paid Model, surveys have shown that there tends to be significantly higher revenue earned on iOS than Android by about 10:1.

In addition to each of these models, businesses can opt to include a layer of subscription-based monetization. Sometimes it makes sense to give gamers a way to subscribe to your game in exchange for regular service or even a regular delivery of virtual goods to their accounts. Monetization is about giving players options that enable them to reward developers in exchange for something they value.

Next, there is the relatively new mobile gaming systems market category. There are far fewer players in this market than in on-device gaming, but the barriers to entry are higher. This isn’t about creating the next hot new tablet or smartphone, but rather branching out and adding creativity to create a new niche. In this space, two examples of mobile gaming systems include Sphero and Ouya.

Due to the higher barriers of entry, both of these companies took on outside funding to help fund their creations. Sphero is venture-backed while Ouya raised significant capital through its Kickstarter campaign. It’s still too early to prognosticate about these two, but they’re worth keeping an eye on.

Last but not least, there is a flourishing contracting business model in which development teams create mobile software for others. This arena spans both mobile games and apps. Mobile software development is in high demand, and supply of skilled developers is relatively low by comparison. Simple economics is enough to make the case for this model. Creating games can be a fun place to start for people looking to get started in mobile development.

New developers interested in the nitty-gritty of mobile game development should consider picking up a copy of Beginning Android Games or Beginning iOS Game Development. For the rest of the world, creating mobile games doesn’t necessarily require knowing the ins and outs of Java, C++, OpenGL, or SQL. A variety of tools, engines, and platforms are readily available to help; however it’s important to choose the best tool for the job. Tools and engines of note include: AndEngine, LibGDX, GameMaker, and Unity.

AndEngine and LibGDX are both free and open source, while Unity and GameMaker will set studios back anywhere from hundreds of dollars to a few thousand. AndEngine is relatively easy to get into, but it is limited to the Android platform, while LibGDX is a bit more complex but it enables cross-platform distribution. GameMaker and Unity are also cross-platform options, but they both are more full featured and require less programming knowledge, and are also less tunable, than either AndEngine or LibGDX. Between GameMaker and Unity, casual developers looking to get their feet wet with 2D titles may want to check out GameMaker, but those interested in both 2D and 3D titles should give Unity a look.

It’s also worth mentioning that other tools and engines beyond these do exist (such as Cocos2d-x, Marmalade, and the BatteryTech SDK) and they may be useful depending on the application. If a physics engine is required, then Box2D (written in C++) is a good bet.

The aforementioned tools and engines will help games get off the ground, but by adding a social layer developers can improve reach, retention, and revenue. Social platforms make it simple to add features like global leaderboards, achievements, and player-to-player communication – features pioneered by PC gaming and consoles like the Xbox 360.

Notable mentions include Gree (formerly OpenFeint), Scoreloop, Papaya, and Swarm (aka SwarmConnect). All four of these players offer free software development kits (SDKs) and services to make games more social. On the surface, the platforms seem very similar, but beneath the marketing messages, developers will find a wide variance in API depth, speed, and ease of use. Swarm, for example, enables developers to quickly deploy social features by using pre-built screens, or they can completely customize the experience with its full suite of APIs.

After creating a mobile game, the next set of considerations revolves around distribution.

On iOS, there is only one place to release an app, and that’s through Apple’s App Store. On Windows Phone it’s the Apps+Games Store, and Blackberry has its Blackberry App World. On Android, there are many marketplaces, but Google Play is by far the best option.

Of the Android alternatives, Amazon’s Appstore for Android probably comes in second thanks to the fact that it comes preloaded on the prolific Kindle devices. Since Android is made by Google, Google Play will likely continue to dominate as the primary marketplace of Android games and apps, but Amazon will probably hang on in a distant second place as long as its Kindles remain popular.

Any discussion regarding mobile game and app marketplaces wouldn’t be complete without mentioning challenges regarding visibility. The challenge varies depending on the gaming platform. Achieving visibility is harder and potentially more costly on larger platforms such as iOS and Android, but the potential rewards are also measurably larger.

Today there are hundreds of thousands of games and apps in the mobile marketplaces and marketing has become crucial to developer success. Options for marketing include traditional banner advertisements and offer-wall services. Traditional banner advertising has a variable cost per acquisition, but offer-wall services can guarantee downloads at a fixed price (often at a fraction of the price of advertisement banners).

Indie developers have been put into a tough spot as bigger players have continued to move into the mobile gaming arena. Companies like EA can push their AAA titles to the top of the charts with blockbuster budgets. While an app at the top does not guarantee success, it at least gives the game a shot at stardom.

Developers looking for time in the spotlight may want to consider building partnerships with larger brands and follow in the footsteps of PopCannibal’s Girls Like Robots, by Ziba Scott and Luigi Guatieri. This clever puzzle game was able to rise to the stratosphere thanks to a partnership with Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim.

When it comes to mobile game development, both indies and major studios find that it differs quite a bit from other platforms such as consoles or PC and web-based games like those on Facebook.

Processing power aside, mobile devices generally have far less screen real estate to work with, and game controls must rely on touchscreen input (with a few exceptions such as Sony’s Xperia Play or other tablet accessories like iCade). This means that mobile game developers shouldn’t rely on complex user interfaces.

Audience awareness is also important. Since mobile games are distributed in app stores that are available to a wide audience, and the app stores include rating systems, mobile game developers tend to see more success with broadly appealing titles. Hardcore game titles can easily have their ratings decimated by the larger number of casual players that simply don’t understand or appreciate such games. Poor ratings can translate into poor download numbers, and poor download numbers can really hurt developers looking to make a splash or expand.

Mobile game businesses also tend to rely on higher unit volumes than console or PC. Success in the mobile gaming industry is typically achieved through download counts on the order of millions, because mobile gamers’ reluctance to shell out large amounts of cash for a game limits revenue from each download. This further strengthens the argument for creating broadly appealing mobile games. Looking for examples? Rovio’s Angry Birds and Popcap’s Plants vs. Zombies should both ring a bell.

This mass appeal concept shines a light on a similarity between creating mobile games and creating Facebook games. While it’s not true in all cases, historically, some of the most successful games on Facebook such as Zynga’s FarmVille and Mafia Wars have had successful clones on mobile platforms like Storm8′s Farm Story and iMobsters. In addition to the mass appeal of their titles, Zynga and Storm8 (also known as TeamLava Games) have both focused intense time and energy into analytics, A/B testing, and fine tuning to grow their titles.

Whether you’re part of an experienced studio, or you’re just learning the ropes by developing mobile games in your spare time, the experience can be both rewarding and enjoyable. The industry changes quickly, but luckily all signs are currently pointing toward rapid growth and expansion. As a participant in the greater gaming community, we encourage continued discussion, research, and feedback. Cheers!(source:gameindustry)


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