Mobile gaming has developed into a major international industry over the last decade and it has become difficult to ignore for big players such as Amazon and electronic maker Sony. According to sources, Sony intends to enter and boost the mobile gaming market.
The corporation announced its plans with an acquisition, just like many of its publishing competitors in the video game industry over the past few years. Savage Game Studios officially joined the new PlayStation Studios Mobile Division on Monday. Sony established the division to bring its console games to handheld devices and, ideally, boost its user base.
Why does Sony want to enter the Mobile gaming market?
To ignore the mobile gaming market would be foolish. Following the game business models that smartphones helped build is a major focus of Sony’s recent investments into live service and multiplatform gaming such as its acquisition of Bungie, the creator of Destiny, for $3.6 billion.
Most of the successful mobile games monetize via in-app purchases. Over the period of several years, it creates staggering profits, ranking them among the most profitable items on the market.
Partners with Savage Games
Hermen Hulst, the CEO of PlayStation Studios at Sony, announced through the PlayStation Blog that the firm would buy Savage Game Studios, a small Berlin mobile developer. Incorporate it into its upcoming PlayStation Studios Mobile subsidiary.
The studio, which was established by Nadjim Adjir, and Michail Katoff, with Michael McManus, has not yet created any of its own games. However, the company’s co-founders were involved in developing the wildly popular mobile games “Angry Birds” and “Clash of Clans.” In 2021, “Angry Birds” and “Clash of Clans” brought in a whopping $489 million and $287 million revenue, respectively.
Hulst explained why PlayStation made this decision, noting popular games on the PlayStation 5 and PC and describing how mobile initiatives will use the same strategy. Around the world, Sony will contend with businesses it had yet to deal with previously, especially Chinese giants Tencent & NetEase, two of the biggest names in mobile gaming. Toto from Kantan Games, though, claimed that Sony still has a good chance of succeeding.
What can users expect?
As part of its recent acquisition effort to speed up the creation of games for several platforms, Sony has added Savage Game Studios to its portfolio.
Savage Game Studios is developing an “unannounced upcoming AAA mobile live-action game,” according to Sony. A blockbuster-style game is known informally as a “triple A” game. A game of this sort is often one whose creators regularly update but also add content to increase its lifespan and bring in money over time.
Per Daniel Ahmad, a senior analyst with Niko Partners, there is a market for some good titles on smaller screens, as seen by the popularity of Call of Duty: Mobile and Diablo Immortal Mobile, each of which was first created for console and PC.
According to Toto of Kantan Games, Sony’s mobile approach would probably rely heavily on its enormous intellectual property (IP) collection while also emphasizing the creation of particular games for smaller devices.
Sony stated earlier this year that it intended to move its current IP for consoles to mobile displays. The business anticipates 12 among those titles to be operational live service titles by 2025, and it wants about 50% of all the videogames it develops to be available on desktop and mobile platforms.
According to Toto, Sony is likely to push companies to create brand-new franchises targeting smart devices and porting current PlayStation IPs to mobile.
In the past, Sony has tried bringing some of its most popular franchises to mobile devices, including a “God of War” spinoff in 2018 and then a “LittleBigPlanet” runner by the name “Run Sackboy! Run!” in 2015. Even though these games are casual, the upcoming one will use the current crazed-over live service model. Developers created these games by keeping players actively involved in constantly evolving worlds filled with live events, competitions, and more, giving them the incentive to keep playing and spending money.
These games attract players with the assurance of being completely free to play, often convincing them to spend significantly more on it than they would have if they had paid a retail price to purchase it in the first place, despite the fact that they use more resources to operate.
Is Mobile Gaming the future?
Gaming is moving to mobile devices significantly and is expected to grow in the coming years. This is the trajectory the industry is moving in, even though it seems absurd given that people want to be capable of viewing the largest yet clearest pictures possible. Only recently has Sony decided to get into the mobile gaming industry; other console manufacturers have previously given it some thought.
Microsoft (Xbox) already has considered what actions they may take, whilst Nintendo is continuing to focus on the small screen format for some time as they aim to gain control of the industry. Even Netflix, the biggest streaming service in the world, has lately expressed interest in breaking into the mobile gaming industry as part of its ongoing diversification efforts and search for new business opportunities.
Conclusion
Sony must enter the mobile market if it hopes to grow its audience beyond a core group of console gamers, just as it is aware that its goods must transition from PlayStation to theatre displays and television sets. It would be exciting to see whether it can replicate the success it had in the console gaming market!
