What's in Store for Mobile Gamers in 2019?

What’s in Store for Mobile Gamers in 2019?

Updated on March 26th, 2019 by Quertime Writer in Gaming

Mobile gaming has long been surpassing other forms of gaming for the rich content that it produces for all genres and player abilities. Indeed, mobile gaming. Worth $70.3 billion, 2018 saw mobile gaming revenue account for more than half of all gaming revenue – which is set to exceed $180 billion by 2021. Gaming apps also accounted for around 76% of all app revenue, which shows that mobile gaming is not only doing well, but is expected to continue to improve with each new stride in technology. With such strong prospects for the industry as a whole, what can we expect from mobile gaming in 2019?

Mobile Games to Expect in 2019

Some of the games we can expect have already been announced to get the buzz going and entice a new crop of gamers. Pokémon Go’s success in 2016 (and indeed, since) showed the world how successful augmented-reality games could be. That’s why Harry Potter is going to get the AR treatment in an eagerly anticipated game, Wizards Unite, which is likely to be released over summer.

Players will need to explore their direct environments to interact with the game, much like Pokémon Go. Developer Niantic has remained secretive about many facets of the game, but the gameplay alluded to in the trailer can give us some clues as to how the game might work. You are a wizard and are tasked with exploring the real world looking for magical objects and creatures to collect before the muggles discover them.

In the same vein as collecting Pokémon, these items will have rarity levels, which can help you grow as a player. Harry Potter lends itself well to the format of the game. In the same way that wizards can see elements that muggles can’t, players will experience things through the game and their smartphone that non-players obviously won’t be able to.

Diablo Immortal has also been announced, bringing their fully-fledged action RPG to a mobile audience in a move away from the standard gameplay on consoles and PC. The game features the hacking, looting, and character classes that the original series did, but is responding to a growing trend in the way of massively multiplayer games. You will be able to drop in and out of gameplay with others, and the Diablo franchise will be suitable for a more casual class of gamer. While Harry Potter shows a greater use for existing mobile technology, Diablo Immortal shows that developers are investing more in the platform.

Casino Mobile Gaming

As our gaming tastes move to mobile, it also opens up avenues for industries that previously lived exclusively on desktops. For example, the mobile casino industry is set to grow even more as more people are looking into playing on their smartphones. Indeed, the casual nature of how mobile gamers spend their time works in tandem with the way in which casino gaming operates. Slot games, specifically, are able to harness some of the latest mobile gaming technological features in order to provide experiences to gamers. These include video slots such as Gonzo’s Quest and classic Batman slots that use video content from the Adam West Batman series. Slots developers such as 888 Casino are already finding ways in which to bring gamification into online slots. Their slot races show players inching forwards for their slot victories, which adds an external competition element to the inner functions of the game.

Branded slots are also gaining traction, including those tying into Jurassic World and Game of Thrones. As the franchises generate excitement from fans, the tied-in slot games are able to satiate the fans as they wait for new content on TV or in the cinema. Slots developers promise that, for 2019, there will be a move towards added value in slots games. For example, Microgaming have developed Castle Builder, which features players building structures with each successful move in the slots game. This trend is expected to grow in 2019 and beyond.

Breaking Barriers with Mobile Gaming

As far as genre-breaking games go, mobile gaming is offering plenty of them. Mobile gaming has always gone further to offer something different, which concepts like Angry Birds, Temple Run, and Candy Crush taking off on the platform. The latest of these successes looks to be games such as House Flipper and Riot: Civil Unrest, both of which explore variations on different genres. House Flipper takes inspiration from property development and has players buy, sell and fix houses in order to develop a portfolio. The game falls loosely into the real-world simulation genre, which Sim City, Rollercoaster Tycoon, and Theme Hospital helped pave the way for.

Riot: Civil Unrest is also expected to offer gamers a chance to play something new. The game focuses on playing as either the law enforcement attempting to curb rioters or the angry mob intent on causing as much destruction as possible. This offers a similar style of strategy gameplay as some other titles, but with a different element. Fans of Grand Theft Auto and Just Cause will enjoy the elements of causing mayhem in a real-world simulation, while others will enjoy the organization and strategy involved in playing as law enforcement. Both games show that we enjoy games that let us do things we normally can’t do in day-to-day life.

Indeed, mobile gaming is set to consume more of our time and money as 2019 goes on. The advances in technology mean that mobile gaming can disseminate new concepts quicker and more easily than other traditional forms of gaming. Our time spent commuting or having downtime can be used to game on mobile tech in an easier way than on cumbersome desktops or consoles. Indeed, even the way we play is changing, as we favor sharper and shorter bursts or gameplay and less heavy narrative-led campaigns. The slate of games coming in 2019 is going to help take mobile gaming to new reaches, while other elements of the industry, including new slot games and new concept games, are also going to dominate.