Mobile games pose increasing threat to games consoles

Mobile games exploded onto the scene in the mid-2000s and now the most popular game, PUBG Mobile, has achieved over one billion downloads. It is estimated that over three billion people own smartphones and over two billion of them play games on their phones. It is the popularity of mobile games reflected in the increased share of the gaming market that is making video game console companies nervous.

Mobile games have been able to take advantage of powerful cellphone operating systems, such as Android and iOS. With games optimized for mobile devices, developers can offer gamers a fast and efficient gaming experience while they are on the go.

As for video game consoles and PC games, mobile games with a war theme are popular with games such as Call of Duty: Mobile, World of Tanks and PUBG Mobile driving the boom in mobile games. The war genre has always been a popular theme in the entertainment industry, featuring in movies such as Midway and Dunkirk. The genre has become a staple of other areas of the modern entertainment industry. For example, the World War Two-themed slot game, 1942 Sky Warrior, is one of several war-themed slot games at Paddy Power. Evidently, the popularity of the war genre has contributed to the success of these gaming titles. The increased interest in war themes in various areas of entertainment has also played a role in the development of new video games.

Call of Duty: Mobile features various war elements such as the battle royale where 100 players compete against each other, the multiplayer format involving 5v5 team-based combat, and classic multiplayer maps from the Call of Duty game. While games such as Call of Duty: Mobile are free, revenue is made through various ways, in this case through the sale of battle passes, which unlock rewards in the form of weapons, COD points and other prizes.

The Call of Duty video game franchise first emerged in 2003 with initial games focusing on the Second World War before moving onto the Cold War, futuristic worlds and outer space. The game was released in 2019 and has been downloaded over 300 million times.

Similarly, World of Tanks makes use of the war genre and allows players to fight against other players on their own or join clans to go into battle. The game includes tanks from nations such as the USSR, Germany, Great Britain, and the USA.

The increasingly lucrative mobile gaming market has also influenced the decision of Netflix to get involved. The streaming service has staked its claim for a share of the mobile games market by purchasing the Finnish mobile games developer Next Games. Michael Verdu, vice president of games at Netflix said: “While we’re just getting started in games, I am confident that together with Next Games we will be able to build a portfolio of world-class games that will delight our members around the world.”

The boom in mobile games shows no sign of abating, indeed mobile games are likely to continue to grow in popularity and traditional video game consoles will face a continued threat as cellphones become even more popular for gaming.

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