Sat, 7 Jul 2012

6:30 AM - Game market competition will become more intense

United States Science and technology blog Verge magazine said that Apple iPhone5 and iPad will be able to form the great pressure on the game console manufacturers. 4 years ago, Apple launched the App Store app store, which permanently altered the mobile gaming market. After the success of Apple, other companies began to follow suit.

Apple iOS is no longer the only competitive platform in the market. Almost all mobile phone users, whether they use Android, iOS or BlackBerry system that has been playing games on a mobile phone. There is no doubt that mobile gaming is growing fast, every year is the emergence of new trends and changes in the market. The main change is that attitudes towards free games, social networking and gaming controllers.

IOS free game mode

Currently ranked in top 10 of games in iOS, 8 are free games. When Apple launched App Store in 2008, developers do not know what kind of price can be accepted by the market. In the past few years, in order to attract users to download, make the game rankings, many game prices are slashed. 99 cent games are the mainstream market.

More popular than the cheap games are free games. Free game idea is very simple: the basic versions of the game are free, but during the game the player can spend money to upgrade or purchase virtual currency. The DragonVale and the Tiny Tower are two popular free games, and a profit. In the game, the player to speed up construction of its own virtual village or the building, tend to cost $ 5 to $ 10 rather than $ 1. In face , iphone fans don't mind the price, even they have bought many kinds of best iphone cases, such as cool iphone cases, stylish iphone cases, cute iphone cases and so on.

In recent years, games have been free, high charging models are becoming more popular. In May this year, according to a study conducted by Information Solutions Group, players in the mobile game two-fifths expenditures were used to obtain additional content or virtual currency.

In addition to focusing on free mode developer, other developers started to do so. The fruit Ninja developers Halfbrick recently launched a game of the Jetpack Joyride. This is a completely free game, players can purchase virtual currency in the game. Although the fruit Ninja on most platforms is still costs $ 1, Halfbrick is also introduced in the game virtual currency features.

For game developers, after the initial investment, they wanted faithfully during the game players can continue have small consumption.

Although this free game models look only in favour of the player, but in fact the gaming industry will benefit as a whole. Free games provide the player with two choices: take a long time to get good grades, or pay to accelerate the process of game. Halfbrick and other developers to find a good way so that players would not be boring, but some developers are still committed to the simple game addiction the vicious circle, lack of skills that allow the player to conduct a series of operations, and provide no sense of reward. This will only bring about the end of the game, were unable to gauge a players skills or fun.

However, as long as this easy to addictions but pointless game free mode will still be able to profit, based on the game of traditional skill will gradually lost markets in the developer and Publisher.

Social networks fragmented

In 2008, when the flow just at the start of the game, this game, many people are surprised. Players want that they can supply these games that are similar to mobile games for Xbox Live experience, help them to track friends, achievement, than all the highest scores. It is unfortunate, Apple published the Game until 2 years after Service Center, so far, Google has not launched a similar service in the Android device. During this period, companies like OpenFeint and Chillingo has filled the gap, launched their own mobile social gaming service.

In the iOS system, Game Center has greatly influenced the emergence of user demand for similar services. No one will want to maintain two similar logon informations, and your buddy list.

Recently, in the "3A" level game publishers, development of independent social gaming service trends are emerging. EA and game publishers such as Activision Blizzard Apple Game Center is no longer used, but the independent development of similar services. Although they no longer remember additional logon information, doing so will bring convenience. Origin of the EA service allows users to Android, iOS, track progress between the PC and game console platforms and the buddy list, and Game Center applies only to iOS and Mac users. Activision Blizzard recently announced similar plans. Uniform flow similar to the Xbox Live service is gradually becoming a reality.

Windows Phone and games

Last month, Microsoft unveiled Windows Phone 8 System. To date, this game faces two big problems. One hand, the Windows Phone platform game released late, some games even later than the iOS platform for more than a year. The other hand, the Windows Phone platform game are priced higher, up to iOS and Android platforms 2 times to 3 times the same game.

In terms of market share, Windows Phone device is less than 10%. This status in Windows Phone 8 later this year is expected to change after the release, but before Microsoft released a more powerful line of games, the player can only wait and see.

Controllers will dominate the host war

You can imagine the scene: Apple designs and sells traditional physical controllers similar to the Xbox 360 and PS3, and iOS devices can connect to your TV. In such circumstances, the only problem is that Apple needs more non-touch-screen gaming. If Apple launches a physical controller, then the market will see a large number of sells for $ 1 to 2 of action-adventure games and first-person shooter game.

If casual game players found that they buy $ 50 after the controller and plug in the iPhone or iPad, you can gain experiences similar to the game host, then they will have no need to spend $ 300 to buy a game console. Apple may not be able to defeat Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo, but certainly Apple will change the market. When Apple promoting the game fell from $ 60 to us $ 1, market competition will become more intense.

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