Mobile Mavens: How is the trend for cross-platform changing the state of gaming?
- The adoption of cross-platform gaming is a growing trend, putting games in front of wider audiences
- But what does this mean for the industry's future? And what impact does the need for cross-platform have on the development process?
The games industry is constantly evolving, with new hardware, emerging trends, and, of course, new games. Market challenges keep developers on their toes, as do the ever-changing desires of players.
One trend the industry is seeing is the adoption of cross-platform gaming. If your game can reach a wider audience, then it has a greater chance of increasing revenue.
But what does this mean for the industry's future? Will cross-platform become a must? And what impact does that have on the development process? We spoke with our Mobile Mavens, who shared their thoughts on what cross-platform gaming means for the industry.
Mika Patiala
In recent years, PC and console developers have increasingly turned to live service games as an alternative to the traditional model of releasing a game and then selling DLCs.
Successful examples, such as Helldivers, demonstrate a hybrid approach where a premium game with an initial cost also operates as a live service game, providing players with a continuous content pipeline and enabling multiple monetisation opportunities.
In multiplayer games, other players significantly contribute to the content, making cross-platform play essential for maintaining a healthy player base across different platforms.
“It is worth mentioning that developing live service games is very different from developing more traditional games.”Mika Patiala
It is worth mentioning that developing live service games is very different from developing more traditional games. Development efforts are ongoing throughout the game's lifecycle rather than ending once the game is released.
Technologies like Unity have long enabled mobile games to be released on PC, but only in recent years have factors such as rising user acquisition costs, market consolidation, and difficulty securing funding prompted studios to move away from a mobile-only strategy and look at other platforms.
Christian Lövstedt
For us, expanding to new platforms has primarily been a way to reach a new type of player.
Some players don't enjoy mobile games and prefer a desktop or console experience. Making The Battle of Polytopia available on multiple platforms has also helped increase our game's visibility to a range of audiences.
Another strong reason for expanding has been the diversification of our revenue streams. By being present on more platforms, we now receive revenue from multiple stores, making us less dependent on just a few.
“It's crucial to invest time in testing whether the additional platform is a good fit for the game.”Christian Lövstedt
Overall, this expansion has been a positive experience, but it's important to note that each platform adds complexity to the development and testing process, which can slow down the speed at which new features are released.
It's crucial to invest time in testing whether the additional platform is a good fit for the game. If not, you risk adding unnecessary complexity to the development process with no real benefit.
Ella Romanos
Players want to play their game on the device they are using now. If your game isn’t on that device then they won’t think of your game.
That doesn’t mean that every game should be on every device, but there is revenue potential if our game is on more platforms. But that doesn’t mean we should always go cross-platform either.
“Arguably, the more platforms you support, the more benefit you get from cross-promotions across all audiences.”Ella Romanos
Not every game suits every platform. Playing a first-person shooter for hours is never as natural on a phone as on PC. We don’t have the same freedom to drop in and out on a VR headset as we do with a phone, but in terms of immersion, the opposite is true.
Understanding the cost/benefit of a new platform is just as important. Marketing approaches are different, and porting has its own challenges - especially if you didn’t prepare for that in the original development. Even simple stuff, such as portrait versus landscape or touch versus keyboard controls, can have a profound impact on gameplay.
Arguably, the more platforms you support, the more benefit you get from cross-promotions across all audiences - making it cheaper to get additional installs/sales as well as to retain players.
Each platform has its own challenges when it comes to marketing. Mobile direct user acquisition still works incredibly well, even if that has been made more challenging in the last few years. However, it is less effective for Steam/Epic and almost negligible for console unless you have massive budgets. Social marketing, ASO, and working with community and content creators are key to those platforms, but mobile can benefit from those techniques as well.
In the end, every team can benefit from cross-platform thinking, and players increasingly expect it, but not every game or every team is going to be able to make the most of it.
Ben Cousens
The market for people who just want to play a game for a few minutes when they have time is much larger than the market for serious gamers who invest significant time in hardcore titles.
This may make it seem like we’d see more PC and console games ported to mobile, and that is certainly happening, but the inverse also makes a lot of sense.
“It’s about finding new opportunities and doing what every good business should strive for - meeting the customer where they are, not where we want them to be.”Ben Cousens
People get hooked on a mobile game and become interested in spending more time playing. So it makes sense to offer that experience wherever the user currently is - be it mobile, PC or console.
And we shouldn’t discount the fact that one of the places people play mobile games the most is at work, where it might be easier to play on PC if you don’t want your boss to notice. For gamers, it’s about convenience.
For the industry, it’s about finding new opportunities and doing what every good business should strive for - meeting the customer where they are, not where we want them to be.
Yassine Tahi
The trend towards cross-platform gaming is largely driven by the desire to reach a broader audience and enhance player experience.
As technology advances, the hardware becomes less of a barrier, allowing developers to create games that run smoothly on multiple platforms.
This shift democratises access to games, making them available to players regardless of their preferred device.
Cross-platform play fosters a more inclusive gaming community, enabling friends to play together regardless of the device they own. This connectivity can increase player retention and engagement, as seen with popular titles like Fortnite and Genshin Impact, which thrive thanks to their cross-platform capabilities.
“One significant limitation is the need to sacrifice a game's performance potential.”Yassine Tahi
However, one significant limitation is the need to sacrifice a game's performance potential, especially as most cross-platform games include mobile or Nintendo Switch, which have lower GPU power. This can limit the graphical fidelity and complexity of games to ensure they run smoothly on less powerful devices.
Looking ahead, the development of higher internet bandwidth and cloud gaming technologies should mitigate these limitations, allowing gamers worldwide to enjoy the same game with great experience and comfort.
This evolution promises a more seamless and unified gaming experience for players globally.
Christoper Bell
I see cloud gaming as an important component of cross-platform, providing gamers with high-fidelity gaming experiences regardless of where they play.
“I see cloud gaming as an important component of cross-platform.”Christoper Bell
Cloud gaming has tried to move its way into the forefront of gaming for years now, but because the experience is not 1:1 yet with playing directly on a console or a PC, there has not yet been an industry shift with game developers making all of their games cloud gaming compatible.
Netflix launched the GTA trilogy for its mobile-focused gaming catalogue, and it hit 30 million downloads.
If Netflix can continue to grow download numbers for gaming on its platform, I think the clear next step for them would be some sort of cloud gaming experience and games made by its own studio.
If this is the case, I think Netflix might be the company to help push cloud gaming more into the forefront and bring users who can't afford a game console but can afford a Netflix subscription into the industry.
Brett Nowak
The increasing trend towards cross-platform releases in mobile games is driven primarily by market challenges and the need for developers to broaden their reach.
“Developing and maintaining a game across multiple platforms requires significant resources and expertise.”Brett Nowak
Cross-platform releases allow apps to reach new audiences, generate more and longer play sessions, and migrate players to independent stores.
But, developing and maintaining a game across multiple platforms requires significant resources and expertise, and ensuring a consistent user experience can be challenging.
Liz Cheng-Moore
Launching titles on multiple platforms offers significant advantages across several aspects.
Primarily, it enhances revenue potential by reaching a broader market. A wider audience also increases the likelihood of exposure through word-of-mouth among players.
Additionally, launching on multiple platforms provides opportunities for marketing support from various sources, including media showcases and social media promotion.
“The advantages often outweigh the challenges, making cross-platform launches a strategic choice for many game developers.”Liz Cheng-Moore
But it doesn’t come without challenges. Developing for multiple platforms increases production costs and extends development time.
All post-launch updates and support efforts would also consider each the platform's needs and requirements, further complicating the process.
In sum, the advantages often outweigh the challenges, making cross-platform launches a strategic choice for many game developers.
Kian Hozouri
“The web is the most natural extension for mobile developers to explore.”Kian Hozouri
With current mobile market conditions, mobile game developers and publishers have been searching for alternative platforms to grow a more diversely distributed portfolio that can reach wide player audiences.
The web is the most natural extension for mobile developers to explore due to its accessibility to the audience and low barriers to entry for developers, especially with those focused on hyper and hybrid casual games.
As an analytics and LiveOps platform supporting both mobile and web games, we are seeing a significant trend of developers prioritising web for new titles and many existing mobile titles being adapted and released on web platforms.
With our recent launch of web game support on ByteBrew, we're excited to provide these creative teams with the tools they need to achieve their portfolio's goals.
Wenfeng Yang
I believe cross-platform gaming is a business strategy where dominant companies leverage their resources to bring AAA-quality games to multiple platforms, thus suppressing competitors and gaining market share.
This approach often leads to competitors following suit, but if a project fails, it can break their financial chain and eliminate them from the competition.
In China, this is especially evident. Many companies try to emulate miHoYo, investing over $100 million and large teams into developing cross-platform titles. Even 4X and RPG developers increase their art quality and R&D costs to support cross-platform development, leading to significantly higher project costs and poor ROI.
“I believe the gaming industry should be driven by creativity.”Wenfeng Yang
Ultimately, success stories like miHoYo and Kuro Games are rare, while most imitators are dragged down by this "arms race," causing resource waste and layoffs and making capital less willing to invest in the gaming industry.
I believe the gaming industry should be driven by creativity. While big companies can compete by piling on resources, smaller companies should focus on gameplay and long-term operations.
Achieving success on a single platform before expanding to cross-platform can help spread development costs and maintain cash flow.
People