Mobile Gaming Trends 2017

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 Mobile Gaming Trends 2017

Trying to predict trends in the gaming industry is a lot like trying to predict the weather. Who knew that Pokémon GO was going to be so huge this time last year? Had anyone even heard about AR (augmented reality) before then? Yeah, okay, I'm sure they probably had – but still, we like the surprises, it's part of what makes the industry fun!
Last year saw the release of three mobile gaming giants: Clash Royale, Pokémon GO, and Super Mario Run. It was also the year everyone became a lot more aware that VR (virtual reality) exists. As 2017 closes in on the halfway point, there are still open questions about what games and trends will dominate the mobile gaming industry this year and beyond.
Below we'll take a look at the biggest topics and predicted trends of mobile gaming in 2017.

Android & iOS

Mobile as a gaming platform is growing, and a big part of the reason why is obvious: Everyone's got a smartphone. A smartphone is never too far out of reach, and people love gaming on them in part for that reason. According to a report by Newzoo, mobile gaming will represent over half the entire games market by 2020 – and that 2017 will see mobile rise to 42% of the market; or, $46.1 billion of the total global games industry which is forecasted to grow to $108.9 billion this year. I mention this because at PlaytestCloud we're in the mobile games business; but also, because this shift to a games industry where mobile is the biggest revenue earner is significant from a developers perspective. Just look at the release of Super Mario Run last year to get an idea of how important mobile has become as a platform. Super Mario Run is a rare Nintendo game released on hardware that isn't Nintendo's own, showing how serious they take mobile as a gaming platform.