Can Pokémon GO single-handedly revitalize the global gaming market?

By Kamran Zia -

Pokemon Go Pokemon on screen radar

Imagine a huge market – say, the smartphone market – reaching saturation point, slowly plateauing and then stagnating. Then imagine some revolutionary new phone comes along that miraculously kick-starts the market, sending it skyrocketing once again. While that might be a difficult future to imagine, we may have just witnessed something similar in the games industry thanks to Pokémon GO.

best escape games for androidSee also: The best Android games of 2016177

In a new report from market analysts Frost & Sullivan, Pokémon GO is essentially credited with near single-handedly revitalizing a stagnating global gaming market. In effect, all hopes for the future of the mobile market are pinned on not just the game itself, but what it represents: a massively successful proof-of-concept for location-based and AR games.

The report is pretty depressing reading for anyone interested in gaming, painting a bleak picture of a market flooded with poorly performing games amidst declining smartphone shipments. The report outlines problems with limited payment models, a stalled emerging market and major players like Supercell essentially dominating all others. But then along comes Pokémon GO and everything is blown wide open and the sky seems to be the new limit.

pokemon go 2

The reasons for this are manifold: the clear interest in location-based gaming, the immediate popularity and acceptance of augmented reality for gaming and the exciting new potential for profit. As Frost & Sullivan’s Marc Einstein notes:

The partnership with the game and McDonald’s in Japan also opens the door for new revenue streams for gaming companies. There are also many new interesting areas such as connected toys which will further bridge the gap between digital and physical products so we expect continued growth in the gaming market.

With this in mind, among other factors, the research firm is predicting significant growth in the global gaming market by 2020. From revenue of $52.3 billion in 2015, Frost & Sullivan forecast a more than 25% increase to $66.2 billion in 2020. The company states there will be “greater demand across all regions and key markets for Toy-to-Life and smartphone supported games.”

There will be greater demand across all regions and key markets for Toy-to-Life and smartphone supported games.

It doesn’t take a genius to realize that we’re going to be seeing a lot of new games that attempt to emulate Pokémon Go’s success by using a similar recipe (albeit without the historical legacy and nostalgic fanbase of Pokémon). Whether or not many more titles will manage to be quite as popular remains to be seen, but the future of AR and location-based gaming looks bright.

But before that can happen, Pokémon GO’s profligate approach to battery life, continued instability and plentiful bugs need to be worked out. The future of the mobile gaming landscape apparently depends on it.

Do you think AR is the future of mobile gaming? How do you see gaming evolving?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Woman clawed by zoo jaguar while trying to take selfie, learns valuable lesson

By Kamran Zia -
Image
Slate A woman’s trip to the Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium, and Safari Park in Arizona was cut short when she was clawed by a captive jaguar (via CBS News ). The woman had climbed over a concrete barrier to get closer to the animal to snap a selfie with her smartphone. The woman was admitted to the hospital with her arm in “pretty bad shape,” according to medical responders. However, she was released shortly after with a series of stitches. According to witnesses on the scene — one of which captured a video of the woman writhing in pain after the jaguar clawed at her arm — the incident began when the unidentified woman climbed over a federally-regulated concrete wall that helps to keep a safe distance between the animal cage and the spectators. Once over the wall, the woman turned her back to the cage to snap the selfie. At some point shortly thereafter, the jaguar reached its two front paws outside the cage and grabbed the woman’s arm. The woman then tried to wrench it out of the
Read more

The 12 best TV shows on Netflix you can binge right now

By Kamran Zia -
Image
Looking for the best shows on Netflix can be hard given the huge selection the streaming service offers. This is why we have created a list of our favorite ones and are ready to share it with you! Netflix gave many critically acclaimed TV shows from regular broadcast and cable networks a second life. Some of the best television shows ever made are now available for binge viewing on the service. In addition, they have a healthy portfolio of original shows and mini series for your viewing pleasure. Best shows on Netflix: Breaking Bad Dracula Stranger Things Mad Men The Office (US) Twin Peaks The Witcher The Walking Dead Parks and Recreation The Good Place Black Mirror Russian Doll Editor’s note : This list of the best shows on Netflix will be updated as TV series leave and others make their debut on Netflix. 1. Breaking Bad Of all of the older shows streaming on Netflix, this series may have benefited the most. Breaking Bad is about a high-school chemistry t
Read more

10 best adult apps for Android (NSFW)

By Kamran Zia -
Image
The adult entertainment industry has come a long way in the last 20 years. Before, all you had were VHS tapes with videos that looked like they were shot in a mafioso’s basement with magazines that you had to ask actual people to get from behind the counter to give you. The horror. These days you can stream and download all the pornography you want, usually for free and in HD, and no one’s the wiser. With tech making it easier than ever to Netflix and chill yourself, it’s only natural that you’ve stumbled upon this page looking for the best porn apps for Android. Please note, if you’re under the legal age in your country, please leave. This isn’t for you. Also, since most of these apps aren’t available in the Play Store, it’s highly recommended that you exercise caution. Let’s get started! Don’t forget to protect your phone against potential problems with the best antivirus apps! Incognito mode gets you almost unlimited adult content. Check out the best Android browsers now! Apt
Read more