To give you a better overview, here is a summary of the most potential trends in the mobile game industry in 2023. Mobile games are the fastest-growing segment in the gaming industry. To get started, let’s first take a look at these interesting mobile game statistics to understand the current market situation (source: Statista):
- In 2022, there will be more than 6.6 billion smartphone users worldwide.
- Mobile game revenue across all platforms is $92.2 billion.
- Mobile game players spend up to $110 billion in 2022—5% less than in 2021.
- By 2025, players are expected to spend up to $138 billion.
More simply, the mobile game market is growing at hyperspeed and shows no signs of slowing down. However, before that fierce competition, you can completely shine and gain market share for yourself because everyone’s opportunities are the same. Looking at the numbers above, developing games for all mobile devices is the best strategy to reach a wider audience.
Here are some of the projects on Android game development trends in 2023 that APKLITE has researched:
1. Midcore and AAA games
Although the mobile games market has seen a slight decline since 2022, the growth of mid-core and AAA games shows no signs of slowing down. The year 2023 is gearing up to be an even more important one for mid-core gaming. This year is expected to see the release of a variety of significant video games for mobile platforms, including Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis, The Division, Call of Duty: Warzone, Assassin’s Creed, Warcraft: Arclight Rumble, Monster Hunter Mobile. Some of these games will support cross-platform play between PC and console versions of the game.
2. Game Gacha
The Gacha game market is more exciting than ever when thousands of games launched by the big players in the game market, even when competing with each other when they are released at the same time. Currently, the game Gacha is a huge moneymaker for developers. However, from a monetization perspective, they are struggling to deal with public opinion about the transparency of the game’s monetization, such as in-app purchases or other services. register types are charged. According to market demand, Gacha game developers must change to have a more transparent way of making money, especially for games with Loot Boxes feature. The European Union and Australia have plans to label all games with loot boxes as 18+. From here, hopefully, the protection of players’ rights will be clearer.
In addition, games that use battle passes as a method of making money for developers will also be widely used. Instead of being applied in high combat or shooting games, battle passes are now used in puzzle or strategy games. They will increase conversion rates and retain players longer as they can adapt to more games.
Gacha games to look forward to in 2023:
- Honkai Star Rail by COGNOSPHERE PTE developer. LTD.
- Higan: Eruthyll by developer BILIBILI.
- Wuthering Waves by developer Kuro game.
- Snowbreak: Containment Zone of developer Seasun Games.
3. Crossplay and Spin-offs make a brand ever more powerful
Technological advancements make cross-platform gaming simpler. Recent years have seen an increase in the variety of games available on PC, console, and mobile devices, as gamers have been allowed to choose the platform they wish to play on while still belonging to a large gaming community.
This is only one reason why cross-play has become one of the most popular mobile gaming trends. Consider Genshin Impact as an illustration. This game’s enormous success was due in large part to the fact that users were able to play the same version of the game on their preferred devices.
Still, it’s hard to make mobile gaming as good as gaming on a PC or console. For this reason, numerous game developers have created “spin-offs,” which are variants of PC and console games that are suited for mobile devices.
4. BONUS: Blockchain Game
Blockchain games, notably play-to-earn games, are a trend that is also emerging in the gaming market. A number of these games are already available in a mobile version, while the majority can only be played on computers.
Following are the ways in which blockchain-based games differ from those of the past:
Frequently, classic free-to-play games generate revenue by selling in-game items or content. Despite the fact that the player pays for these products, the creator of the game is the true owner. In a play-to-earn game, on the other hand, players can purchase stuff, characters, and even land. Also, participants can contribute to the administrative system of the platform. Numerous blockchain-based games are decentralized and allow token holders to vote on game proposals.
The greatest attraction of these play-to-earn games is that players receive prizes, which are typically tokens or NFTs of the game. The potential to earn more money from the game without doing anything else also motivates players. As a result, play-to-win games strike a balance between their entertaining and monetary functions. Even though it is difficult to accommodate the needs of all gamers, there are still a significant number of individuals interested in this new trend. There’s no question that blockchain games will continue to have a big effect on the mobile gaming industry.
5. Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence and machine learning rule the entire technological universe. These advancements enable businesses to create chatbots, voice assistants, and virtual fitting rooms. Gartner predicts that by 2023, forty percent of infrastructure and operations teams will employ artificial intelligence technology to boost IT productivity. The app industries that use AI the most right now are eCommerce, mobile banking, sports technology, and travel. By 2023, the mobile gaming industry will not be off the list.
The use of artificial intelligence and machine learning together is likely to have a big effect on mobile gaming in 2023. AI enables developers to create captivating gaming universes and rich, human-like characters. With the help of big data and machine learning, developers can track what players do in a game, predict what the market will want, and shorten the time it takes to do everyday tasks. So, they can better understand gamers and make more interesting games as a result.
Above are our opinions on the mobile gaming development trends in 2023. Let’s find out all about them and see how it runs in 2023.