Currently, mobile gaming is the dominant segment in the global video games sector. With the upcoming 5G revolution around the corner, new processors and improved display technologies are making mobile platforms more game ready than before. Every games company must develop expertise in this area to stay relevant, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
This company’s latest report, ‘Thematic Research: Mobile Gaming’, reveals that the mobile gaming market will be worth US$272 billion by 2030, up from US$98 billion in 2020. In that sense, the industry will record a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11% over that decade.
Mobile gaming is already bigger than the console and PC gaming markets combined, contributing nearly 57% of global video games revenue in 2020. The growing maturity of streaming (supported by 5G), cloud gaming services and mobile Esports (combined with the fact that mobile platforms are close to technical parity with PCs and consoles) means most gamers will embrace mobile gaming in the next few years. As a result, it will continue to account for the lion’s share of the global video games revenue over the next ten years. Besides mobile, other video games categories include revenues generated by games played on PCs, consoles, handheld controllers, VR headsets and cloud gaming services.
According to Rupantar Guha, Associate Project Manager for Thematic Research at GlobalData: “Mobile gaming expertise is a must-have for all games companies. Traditional console and PC game publishers such as Activision Blizzard and EA are increasingly focused on the popular mobile gaming and its lucrative revenue opportunities. They compete with companies such as Tencent, Sea and Perfect World, which primarily focus on mobile gaming. Social media companies (like ByteDance) and online advertisers (for instance, AppLovin) are also moving into mobile games publishing.”
Moreover, Guha explained: “5G will drive the next wave of innovation in mobile gaming. 5G networks allow games to be downloaded faster than current 4G networks and aid the development of mobile-based cloud gaming services and augmented reality (AR) games. With the ability to support one million devices within a single square kilometer, 5G will drive more users towards mobile gaming, especially multiplayer titles. This, in turn, will boost the growth of mobile Esports.”
At the same time, GlobalData revealed that the APAC region contributed nearly 60% of mobile gaming revenue in 2020. Revenues of US$58 billion were generated in the region during 2020, with this figure expected to grow to US$159 billion by 2030. Five countries produced nearly 75% of global mobile gaming revenue in 2020. China was the outright leader, followed by the U.S. (20%), Japan (11%), South Korea (5%), and the UK (4%).