Mobile development standards change faster than you might think. That’s why it’s essential to keep one’s hand on the pulse and stay ahead of the competition. To save you some time, we’ve gathered the most promising trends to help your business stay up-to-date in 2021.
General overview
Despite the pandemic, most mobile developers actually got bigger because the number of gamers on all possible platforms keeps growing. According to Statista, in 2019, there were 4.15 billion mobile users. In 2020, this number reached 4.78 billion. This year, it’ll get even bigger. It’s a huge pool of potential customers for mobile game developers. However, it’s not enough to release a new game. It’s essential to make it trending.
The importance of graphics
UI (User Interface) /UX (User Experience) in game development is a key trend one shouldn’t miss. The modern mobile game market offers thousands of games. Unless the game has remarkable UI/UX, players won’t even notice it.
That’s why some of the top mobile games of 2020 became:
- Genshin Impact;
- Fortnite;
- Mario Kart Tour;
- Pokémon Go;
- The Pathless;
- League of Legends, etc.
They attract more users because of smooth animation, complex visual effects, convenient interface, etc. Such details make games more immersive, captivating, and thrilling. It motivates players to keep exploring the game.
Many game developers outsource the development and hire game art services. Such companies do software development and art creation for them. This approach saves money, resources, and time. By hiring experts, a company can easily introduce new multiplayer or hyper-casual games that are the biggest trends of 2021.
Other development trends
If you want to become a leader in your niche or maintain your position on the market, it’s also significant to consider the latest events that impact the world. 5G, the growth of Super Apps, the need to spend more time at home due to the pandemic, all these things play a huge role. They open new possibilities that a mobile game development company can use to its benefit.
One of the main trends in 2021 remains AR and VR. More and more devices support this technology and open limitless opportunities for gaming. Players don’t need expensive consoles to dive into a simulated environment anymore. They can enjoy augmented reality as well as virtual reality from the comfort of their smartphones.
Another trend of the year is the in-game brand integration. Traditional ads and product-placements are out-of-date. The new standards become brand collaborations with game developers that lead to exclusive possibilities or features. Games include branded items that bring unique features, rewards, etc.
Multi-player modes that used to be possible on consoles only are making their way to mobile games. Players can interact and have fun playing their favorite games together. Moreover, they can be present in the games, as well. A mobile game will introduce your look-alike into the game by using face recognition.
Hybrid games are trending as well. They allow gamers to have more freedom in the game in regard to choices, actions, etc. While it’s nothing new, such features are making their way to mobile games with the help of the latest technologies.
Bottom line
According to the stats, mobile games keep hitting new records in the numbers of downloads in 2020. The trend keeps growing as the weekly mobile game downloads increase worldwide. So, what will 2021 bring us? Look out for breakthroughs and quality updates. Game development companies are going to surprise use with hyper-realistic and high-tech games packed with numerous features and impressive designs.