PGC London 2024 is in progress and already plenty of tremendous conversations are getting underway. Among them, Newzoo lead analyst Tom Wijman appeared on stage to discuss the "very good position" mobile is in right now in "Navigating the transition: maximising your opportunities from mobile development to PC and console".
Wijman started off by noting the sheer increase in consumer spending year-over-year up to 2021, and that despite a fall since, Newzoo does "anticipate that mobile will return to growth". Furthermore, nearly half of players play games on more than one platform, but mobile continues to dominate single-platform play representing 35% of the population.
Even so, it has become a "much harder market to succeed in", and therefore branching out to PC and console may be one strategy to compete. Looking at revenue forecasts, Wijman noted that console and PC are in a better position of growth but still make up less than half of all gaming revenue.
Cross-platform power
"There’s absolutely something to be said for having your mobile games on PC and console, purely based on what the research tells us. Those who play on multiple platforms spend more time on games and have higher engagement," Wijman shared. "Porting mobile games can boost profitability and playtime. But it is unlikely to make a significant impact on user numbers, as it does not likely change the total addressable market."
Another benefit is the potential to circumvent Apple and Google’s app store fees, with one external website applicable across a game’s platforms. And, compared to developing a brand-new game on a new platform, porting to PC and console is less taxing on resources for mobile developers.
However, Wijman did note that "mobile control schemes mismatch with larger screens and input devices" and this is something developers would need to address. Ports from mobile also have a "lower likelihood to expand TAM" and means an extra version of the game to maintain and update.
Despite these downsides, the overall advantages make Wijman confident that "mobile developers are in a very good position to make an impact on the PC and console space" with lucrative rewards possible for devs that do so.
There’s a lot more still to discover from PGC London 2024, with talks and conversations ongoing through January 22 and 23. Find out more about what's on and how you can be part of it here.
