One of the defining trends in gaming over the past decade has been the meteoric rise in mobile gaming. While growth rates within the mobile gaming market have been strong for years now, things have been kicked into overdrive in the past 12 months. In 2021, there were close to 83 billion mobile game downloads, an all-time-high that smashed previous records by a country mile.
In short, players are spending more money on mobile games, spending more time playing them, and playing a more diverse range of games than ever before.
All of this means that the mobile game market is incredibly competitive right now. So, if you’re looking to create the next big hit, be it a mobile RPG or a real-money mobile slot, you’ll need to bring your A-game. Here are some of the essential features for good mobile gameplay for devs to keep in mind.
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Keep it simple
If there is one thing that all of the most successful mobile games ever all have in common, from Wordle to Angry Birds to Fruit Ninja, it’s that they are simple. Mobile gamers tend to want games that lend themselves to multitasking and do not require a huge amount of strategy. Aim for total playability with just two or three different interactions max. This is the secret sauce for a successful game.
Make it compatible
The days of games being wedded to only one brand or OS are long gone. If you want to really succeed in the mobile gaming market, you should ensure that your title is compatible across all devices and that nobody is locked out from playing. If you have resource constraints, you can opt for a mobile game that is playable on the browser. This is exactly what the creators behind the hit game Wordle did, and it is also a common approach used by mobile casino game platforms.
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Accessible transactions
Microtransactions and in-game purchases make up a growing portion of revenue in the mobile game market. Players will stop playing a game that has too many ads, but the number of players who make in-game payments on mobile is growing. This is why you should offer easy, accessible payment methods for your players. This is especially important for developers of real-money games such as mobile slots or mobile poker. Many players will specifically look for casinos which take PayPal for wagers and withdrawals as this gives them the peace of mind that all of the payments will be swift and secure.
Gamification
Even if your game has top-notch aesthetics and infrastructure, you still need to keep people actually playing for longer periods of time. The most effective way to do this is by incorporating simple gamification principles into your game. Let’s look at one of the most successful mobile games ever, Candy Crush. Candy Crush repeatedly praises successful gamers every time they get something right, with soothing sounds and prompts such as “sweet job”, “tasty”, and “divine”. Small touches like this can encourage your players to play for longer.
If you’re developing a mobile game, you’ll want to get it right the first time. By keeping these factors in mind, your game can become a smash hit.
