Mobile has seen explosive growth in the past few years. And as the industry grows so do the challenges. It is hard to believe ten years ago, there were no smartphones. And today, they are integral part of our lives. Especially Apps, they make our lives simpler, safer and fun. Still app developers are up against many odds. The consumer is extremely fickle minded and demanding . The mobile ecosystem is complex and is always transforming. It offers many challenges to running a sustainable and viable mobile gaming business. Not denying that we have a few winners. The big question is “ What concerns us and what we can do about it ?” Let’s look at its evolution, its challenges, some shifts and where we might be heading as we strive to build long lasting businesses and cater to growing customer expectations.
2. Who am I?
Name: Deepika Bajaj
Mobile, Digital, Gaming
enthusiast
Favorite Quote: Be the change
you want to see in the world
Business Philosophy:
“Business is what concerns us. If you
care about something enough to do
something about it, you’re in
business.” – Richard Branson
Passion : Build something that
transcends generations
30. “Business is not about
formality, or winning, or
the bottom line, or profit,
or trade, or commerce, or
any of the things the
business books tell you
it’s about. Business is
what concerns us. If you
care about something
enough to do something
about it, you’re in
business.”
37. A new and revolutionary entertainment
experience that showcases the convergence of
technology, innovation, services and content in a
way that resonates with consumers.
The new definition of Next Gen
40. The BIG Picture – A New Gaming
Ecosystem
Building an
experience that’s
not an isolated
experience on a
given device but
part of a bigger
experience
41. • Engage users beyond a single
device
• Develop engagement events
within mobile games for cross
platform play (Increase DAU
& Retention)
• Ability to sync up/ Create
infrastructure
• Cross Promote
But this is hitting a critical point here, people. 12% admitted to using their smartphones in the shower .
People spend more time using their smartphones for surfing the web, checking social networks or playing games than making phone calls, new research has found.
79% of smartphone users have their phone on or near them for all but two hours of their waking day; 63% keep it with them for all but one hour. A full quarter of respondents couldn’t recall a single time of the day when their phone wasn’t in the same room as them.
These high consumer expectations mean companies have little time to waste. Businesses have had a long time to get it right online, but with mobile they are not getting the benefit of the doubt. And the complications are not decreasing any time soon
The plan is to help get the games of "small and medium-sized developer"' off the ground and out to a bigger audience with Facebook playing the part of the publisher. The thinking is, that publishing is an old model that goes back to the world of console gaming, so it’s a structure that is already well familiar for gaming studios. Consider this; In the console era, a big gaming company would market and distribute games from smaller studios that lacked the resources to promote their products. At the same time, smaller developers are having a hard time finding audiences when they are competing against bigger companies like King , Kabam and Supercell , which now have the power to spend tens of millions of dollars per annum on marketing. The initial costs of producing and distributing a competitive mobile game have gone from the hundreds of thousands into the millions of dollars mark for titles that have a place in the top-25 grossing spots. So in this experiment, Facebook is partnering with smaller companies and independent developers. They are also primarily focusing on distribution.
Apple realized that Discovery is broken. Popular near me tab on the Appstore – helping drive organic discoverability of local businesses Ratings now included (total number, not just for current version) More downloads for the long term hit games Now autoscrolls down to see the list, instead of to the right Not requiring you to tap “See All” reduces friction More download for those popular games not in the top 25 Easier to access top grossing = more downloads for the monetizers Category button is more prominent, meaning more spread of downloads Rest is similar
Build an ecosystem that not only allows you us play via mobile but also allows us to interact via console and PC. A very holistic view of building ecosystems that mobile is a part of. Mobile is a huge growth area that will expose us to new customers, and whole new groups of gamers — whether they’re lapsed gamers or new markets. Experience has to be tailored to a given device but it has to be part of a larger experience. Do it in a way where the devices speak to each other, allows consumer to pay anywhere, anytime
Once the infrastructures are in place, developers are starting to find new and creative ways to use this data. The Call of Duty Elite app allows players to customize their assorted loadouts and classes in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and EA recently revealed that NHL 13 will have a companion app that allows users to make trades, sign free agents, tweak their lineups, and send messages to other users to set up matches in the new Connected GM mode. “ I think the big focus will be less on the platform and device, and more about getting that all-important data to the cloud so other games and apps can plug in to it ,” Engage users beyond a single device Build a multi-platform games (unity engine) Increase downloads with low budget investment Raise awareness and broaden audience Develop engagement events within mobile games for cross platform play( Increase DAU & Retention) Level up – a character or unlock new content Multiplayer Competitions – Nintendo DS or Sony PSP and Apple iOS Ability to sync up/ Create infrastructure leaderboards, challenges, scores, progress and virtual goods Multiscreen Gather data to the cloud Cross Promote Gaming rewards Build an player base / promotional internal netw