The year 2022 has just begun, and new opportunities are opening up ahead. And today, we would like to discuss the foundation of 2022 and what the upcoming year has prepared – what trends news you must be aware of in the mobile videogame industry.
- The gaming industry is growing, and mobile gaming is its fastest-growing segment.
The video games industry has boomed in recent years due to isolation and videogame accessibility. Likewise, with the rise of cross-platform games, mobile games, streaming game services, etc., people do not need to put too much energy into tracking console sales and videogames as in the past. Therefore, access to the videogames is easier attained and distributed, pushing the popularity and revenue. As a result, in 2021, the gaming industry overcame the gain of such monsters as movies and North American sports combined. Furthermore, in 2022 it is expected to grow even more, with mobile gaming in the lead. As a result, the worldwide mobile gaming expectations forecast the mobile game increase to a staggering $100 billion.
- Brand strengthening with the help of crossplay
Crossplay is the capacity for players to use various video game hardware to play simultaneously.
The development of software with crossplay requires higher costs. But in 2022, it is a must for game developers who strive to be ahead of competitors. That is why such large PC and console developers are trying hard to enter the mobile market: starting with the same Epic Games with Fortnite and ending with Pokémon Unite. Call of Duty is one of those franchises that has successfully spread to mobile platforms.
- IDFA has a critical impact on mobile gaming, and developers are looking for possibilities to coexist with it.
IDFA (The Identifier for Advertisers) is an assigned unique number of each Apple device. Historically, IDFA has been one of the pillars of mobile marketing — but everything changed when Apple announced iOS 14 updates. Previously, developers could use it by default, but getting users’ permission to use the data is necessary.
The new rules have been applied since the spring of 2021. And it is already noticeable how this has complicated the purchase of traffic on iOS—having a long-term impact on revenue and growth.
Although this is not the first time there have been significant shakeups in the mobile advertising ecosystem, this one was especially significant. Because studios rely on the expected effectiveness of advertising to manage business and growth plans, this process has become much less predictable.
In the meantime, mobile developers are adapting to the changes on iOS. In 2022, they will have a similar story with Google, which also thought more seriously about user data privacy. If you plan to launch a casual mobile app, we advise asking for help from casual mobile game publishers. They most likely have experience growing app presence and know-how to work with the new changes.
- With the spread of 5G, mobile gaming is waiting for entirely new speeds.
Although 5G seems more like a myth than a reality, and the areas covered by it are far from the territory of the whole Earth, it is rather a matter of time when it will fully come into the lives of mobile device users.
For the mobile games market, this means a significant increase in content download speeds: players will be able much faster and easier acquire an app – especially since the amount of built-in memory of smartphones is also growing. As a result, it will be more comfortable to play synchronous PvP games, where a stable connection is vital. Also, the increase in mobile Internet speeds will positively impact cloud gaming services.
The environment has favorable soils, and there are excellent growth opportunities for the mobile apps ahead. However, due to IDFA on iOS and Google, there are long-term threats considering revenue and App growth. And to avoid mistakes, we recommend using publishing services. For instance, Playcore has experience publishing apps on iOS and Android after the IDFA release, and we know how to grow your app. Therefore, do not hesitate to contact us, we are happy to help.
