The mobile gaming market has evolved into a major driving force in the global gaming industry, with projected revenues of $92.6 billion in 2024, making up nearly half of the global gaming market's value. Over the next several years, the mobile gaming market is expected to grow further, with estimates reaching $164.81 billion by 2029. The rising adoption of smartphones and advances in 5G technology - which enhance mobile gaming experiences through faster data speeds and cloud-based gaming solutions, are some of the key forces driving this growth. With over 3.4 billion global gamers, mobile platforms offer a convenient entry point for both casual and competitive gamers, making it a critical market that developers and publishers can no longer afford to neglect. As mobile gaming expands in regions like North America, Asia-Pacific, and emerging markets, it’s becoming clear that this space will continue to dominate industry trends and revenues for the foreseeable future. This is why web3 gaming is focused on the mobile gaming market, and examples of successful mobile game transitions and expansions only further validate the supremacy of mobile platforms.
PUBG Goes Mobile
Krafton’s shift to mobile with PUBG Mobile was not only a successful strategic move for the company, but it also highlighted a larger trend in the gaming industry. Released in 2018, PUBG Mobile quickly gained massive popularity, accumulating over 1 billion downloads globally. By 2023, it had generated a staggering $8.5 billion in revenue, outpacing its original PC version. This success demonstrates how critical mobile platforms have become in reaching wider audiences and monetizing games effectively.
Several factors contributed to PUBG Mobile’s success. First, the free-to-play model with in-app purchases made it accessible to a broader range of players, particularly in regions like India and Southeast Asia, where mobile-first gaming is prevalent due to infrastructural and financial reasons. Additionally, PUBG Mobile was designed to be playable on lower-end devices, expanding its user base to include players with budget smartphones, which is often the case in developing economies. Its optimization for mobile hardware allowed the game to run smoothly on a variety of devices, making it appealing to both casual and hardcore gamers.
The rise of mobile esports also contributed to PUBG Mobile's success, with tournaments such as the PUBG Mobile Global Championship drawing millions of viewers and offering attractive prize pools for top players. The competitive scene helped maintain engagement and extend the game's longevity, ensuring it remained relevant in the increasingly competitive markets of not only mobile gaming but gaming in general. This additional layer of competition is a key differentiator for mobile games like PUBG, offering not just casual entertainment for everyone but also fostering a community of professional gamers and spectators.
The shift to mobile gaming is not unique to PUBG. Other games, such as Call of Duty and Fortnite, have followed similar paths, capitalizing on the booming mobile gaming market. Call of Duty: Mobile, launched in 2019, has seen remarkable success, with over 500 million downloads globally and $1 billion in revenue by 2022. Similarly, Fortnite, despite legal disputes with Apple and Google, found a significant portion of its user base on mobile devices, illustrating the growing trend of well-known games making their way to handheld platforms. These examples underscore how major franchises are leveraging mobile as a primary platform to reach a broader, more diverse audience.
Epic Games’ Mobile Strategy
Epic Games is one of the latest major companies to intensify its focus on mobile platforms. Although Fortnite remains a cornerstone of its mobile strategy, especially after overcoming legal battles with Apple and Google, the company has far broader ambitions. Epic has been working to adapt its Epic Games Store to mobile, seeking to bring a wide range of high-quality PC and console titles to smartphones and expand its market reach. Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, recognizes that mobile devices have become capable of running even the most ambitious games - after some optimization, of course, thanks to hardware advancements and the rise of cloud gaming, which in itself was a major breakthrough. The expansion of the Epic Games Store to mobile will help Epic capture more market share, allowing it to reach the growing mobile-first audience.
Additionally, Epic’s plans for mobile platforms extend to harnessing the growth of Fortnite’s esports ecosystem, which has seen massive participation globally. Fortnite mobile tournaments have already drawn large audiences, further demonstrating the untapped potential of competitive mobile gaming, a key factor in the future growth of web3 games like those Elympics is building. By expanding its presence on mobile, Epic is positioning itself to not only dominate mobile gaming but also create an ecosystem where players can interact, compete, and stream across various devices, ensuring cross-platform integration is at the heart of future gaming experiences.
Palworld’s Mobile Expansion
The rising popularity of Palworld, a game that combines elements of open-world survival and Pokémon-style creature collection, has prompted its developers, Pocketpair, to announce a mobile version after establishing itself as a unique entertainment giant. Collaborating with Krafton’s PUBG Studios, the mobile adaptation aims to reinterpret Palworld’s gameplay for smartphones while retaining the key features that made it a success on PC and consoles. The game’s mobile version reflects Krafton’s experience in the mobile sector, having successfully developed PUBG Mobile, which we have already discussed above. While details about the exact mobile features are not fully disclosed, this strategic partnership is expected to enable Palworld to tap into the booming mobile gaming market and, perhaps, multiply its audience and revenue streams. Although the release is still in its early stages, the excitement surrounding Palworld’s success on other platforms suggests that its mobile debut will attract a significant player base.
Conclusions
The mobile gaming market has undeniably become a cornerstone of the gaming industry, with explosive growth projected to continue over the coming years. This transformation is driven by the accessibility and affordability of smartphones, advancements in 5G, and the ability to deliver high-quality gaming experiences on the go. Games like PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty: Mobile, and Fortnite have demonstrated how mobile platforms can expand a game's reach, drive massive revenues, and foster global communities. The move towards mobile by major franchises and platforms, such as Epic Games Store’s mobile expansion and Palworld’s upcoming mobile adaptation, highlights the increasing recognition of mobile gaming's potential. As developers continue to optimize for mobile experiences and embrace cloud gaming, mobile esports, and cross-platform integration, the future of gaming will be shaped by this once-overlooked segment. For studios, mobile is no longer just an option - it is essential for sustained growth and success in the gaming world.
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