Top Mobile Trends for 2023
Mobile gaming is a sector that continues to grow every year. This is true in a commercial sense and also in terms of what it can offer to casual and hardcore gamers alike. As hardware improves, developers can create titles that rival PC and console counterparts.Here are the top mobile trends to watch out for in 2023.
Online casino innovations
Most reputable online casinos are available on mobile, sometimes via an app, more often on browser. Players can take part in the same games as PC users, such as slot online games, roulette, video poker and blackjack.
Online casinos are constantly aiming to innovate and bring new experiences to players. Over the last few years, one of the trends has been live dealer casinos. A human dealer hosts these games via live stream directly to the players, making it more involved.
Another major trend in online casinos is the rise of cryptocurrency as a betting currency or as a deposit method. Cryptocurrency casinos started out quite basic, but have evolved to offer a full range of games such as casino spin games and table games.
Mobile gaming growth
Let’s start with the growth of mobile gaming. According to NewZoo, the mobile gaming industry will be worth $200 billion by 2024 and a staggering $272 billion by 2023.
Those numbers vary across sources, but all tell a similar story; mobile gaming is still on the rise and isn’t slowing down any time soon.
In fact, mobile is now the most lucrative sector of the gaming industry, with greater revenues than both PC and console. It is the fastest growing sector and the most accessible for players. Over 6 billion people own a smartphone, far more than own consoles or PCs.
AAA titles take the lead
This translates into a thriving industry. Developers want to put money in to creating the greatest mobile titles possible. Not only that, but mobile hardware and internet connectivity is improving all the time.
These factors combined mean that there are now more AAA titles available on mobile than ever before. Hyper-casual games are still the backbone of the sector and the most popular choice for players, but so-called hardcore games, those that are more involving for players, are the fastest growing.
It’s now possible to play games like Call of Duty, Fortnite, Battlefield 4, FIFA, Final Fantasy and Genshin Impact on mobile. Some of these are cross-platform, others are mobile versions. In any case, they all qualify as AAA titles.
We have also seen the rise of mobile esports. PUBG: Mobile is now more popular than its older PC counterpart. It has a thriving community of both casual and competitive players. The game’s main esports tournament, the PUBG Mobile Global Championship, paid out $4 million in prizes in 2022.
Expect to see more AAA titles and mobile esports hits in 2023.
Independent games
With big developers pushing out AAA titles, you’d think that there wasn’t any room for indie game developers in the market, but this is simply not the case. In fact, indie development is in a much better place than it was a couple of years ago.
This is largely due to changes in law in late 2021, as well as a bill that is set to commence in May of this year, which gives developers more freedom and allows them to sell games cross-platform.
Indie developers are able to sell games on Apple and Google Play, as well as small, independent games outlets. This allows them to make more money on their games, encouraging more developers to continue their trade.
We all want to see more AAA titles, but let’s be thankful that indie developers can still show us what they can do.
Monetization strategies
According to data released by Unity, conversion rates for in-app purchases are still growing, as is ad revenue for mobile gaming. The most successful kind of ad is rewarded videos, in which players voluntarily watch an ad in return for a reward.
Developers are increasingly taking a hybrid approach to monetization, one which may include in-game purchases, ads, and, increasingly, subscription models.
The hybrid approach is beneficial for the developer as it converts more players. It’s also generally well received by players because they can choose how and to what extent they pay.
The other monetization strategy that we are likely to see more of in 2023 is pay-to-earn. These games reward players with tokens or NFTs and create a crypto-based marketplace around the game that involves in-app purchases and trade.
Final words
These are just some of the mobile gaming industry trends to expect in 2023. As the market continues to increase in size and revenue, developers will bring more AAA titles to the forefront and the esports landscape will expand. Meanwhile, sectors from online casinos to indie developers will continue to innovate.
