Games are becoming more popular and more interactive in the Asian region. The main trends in the gaming industry in Asia in 2021 are predetermined by new technologies. Among them – the growth of cloud gaming, new challenges for mobile developers, and virtual events.
Cloud Gaming Erases the Hardware Barrier Between Gamers and Games
The growth driver of the gaming industry is cloud technology, which enables fast and uninterrupted data transfer between remote computers. The technology allows you to run the most demanding games with minimal latency, not on the user’s device, but a remote server (cloud). The server works according to the streaming model: it transmits audio and video streams to the gamer, who, in turn, controls the character from one’s device. At the same time, there is no need to spend money on an expensive computer upgrade – the technology runs smoothly like Netent games and sites on Qyto so you can start the game from any gadget, regardless of its power.
According to experts, the cloud gaming market is a priority trend in the gaming industry. Newzoo expects its turnover in Asia to exceed $1 billion for the first time in 2021.
Users Get Even More Opportunities to Make Money on Games
For many Asian users, making money on games has become a real way to replenish their wallets. In this area, investments are practically not required, and the average player’s income, depending on the chosen direction, can range from $1,000 to even $100 thousand.
The gaming industry offers many options for earning money. Here are just a few of them:
- Game streaming – broadcasting the gameplay to an interested audience. The streamer’s income consists of donations from viewers, payments from developers, and advertising contracts.
- Mentoring – training gamers through a recorded webinar or master class. Many people want to learn how to play successfully, and they are ready to pay a mentor.
- Cybersport – making money on gaming tournaments. To take part in competitions, you need to be a professional gamer. And the income here can be estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
- Online board games. There are a huge number of virtual games, lotteries, and tournaments on the network. You can make money on them with minimal or no investment. The money won can be withdrawn to the wallet or used to participate in other paid competitions.
Most of the game projects with the withdrawal of money are various farms, economic strategies, and simulations. Their members are engaged in virtual business, develop production, build cities, and command armies. And as a reward, they get real money.
Brands Continue to Use Games to Create Virtual Events
Many brands and celebrities continue to use games as a platform for promotion and communication with a wide audience. The trend emerged after the cancellation of concerts and other restrictions due to the pandemic. And the success of collaborations between various companies and music artists has only raised the interest in collaborating with mobile products. For example, the BTS Fortnite performance in 2020 was watched by tens of millions of viewers. Such partnerships can be implemented in the form of a short-term event or the form of a long-term collaboration with the application.
It is obvious that such solutions are beneficial for both parties. Brands get new ways to promote their product, and developers get the opportunity to attract new audiences to their games.
Mobile Games Have Conquered the Market
Mobile games are more affordable, there is more choice, a smartphone is always at hand, and most importantly, it is almost always free or much cheaper than playing games on a PC. Especially after gaming experience on PC and consoles, people are more willing to switch to mobile analogs of their favorite games. A separate incentive for the transition is the “rendering” of the players: after 30 years, they have less time to play, there is no desire to understand complex mechanics. At the same time, mobile games become “mature” and offer such an audience the required combination of complexity, plot, and session duration.
Producers who cannot afford to release and monetize free games are adopting paid subscriptions, and this form is popular – according to Microsoft estimates, the number of players by subscription grew by 40% over the year. This can support small developers of quality games.
The merging of mobile gaming and eSports has also become a notable trend in this area. Whereas earlier game competitions were held mainly on the PC platform, and sometimes on consoles, now there are mobile games competitions. Most of them are carried out by the project publishers themselves and on a smaller scale, but mobile eSports also gathers an impressive audience.
Gaming Ecosystems
Technically, games are evolving towards creating ecosystems. Considering the number of users and the time people spend in games, developers are trying to introduce more and more elements of social interaction, i.e., from services for joint calls during the game to tools for social approval.
Fortnite, for example, is adding more modes like custom worlds and cooperative play against bots, as well as countless collaborations with the most popular franchises. The task of a modern service game is to make sure that the player never wants to install another game. But, fortunately, there are still enough free niches in the market.
Nevertheless, even now such gaming ecosystems are becoming a full-fledged alternative to social networks. Unlike in the already familiar Instagram and Facebook, in the game, you not only consume content but also become a part of it and choose the interaction formats yourself. In other words, the future of the gaming industry is not even the creation of a new form of leisure, but the creation of a full-fledged virtual reality with simple opportunities for social interaction and communication.
Today, games are no longer just entertainment because they are a new platform for communication, earnings, transforming business, and education; they gradually blur the boundaries between virtual and real worlds.
