The world has accepted that the mobile holds the future of internet use, and the gaming industry is evolving in kind. Game developers are always looking to align their titles with emerging trends in mobile gadgets. 2020 looks explicitly like an exciting year with several directions to head in.
5G is a reality now, and companies are creating games which will exploit its capabilities. In 2020, the phenomenon will not be widespread, given that 5G enabled devices will still be quite expensive. Furthermore, the concept will nevertheless be theoretical in many aspects, given the huge infrastructure gap that needs to be plugged.
The entrance of big games into the mobile market has been pretty limited. Developers say it is challenging to adapt games such as Call of Duty to mobile screens without creating an absurd interface. This is because such games are usually played with external controls, whereas mobile games use on-screen control.
That is not to say, however, that the efforts are not there. Already, Call of Duty: Mobile and Elder Scrolls: Blades are available for mobile play. 2020 will see a significant increase in the number of big franchise titles being adapted to mobile. The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2019 has shown flashes of how this will happen.
Mobile gaming, however much it is loved, cannot precisely match PC gaming. The size of the screen demands that some changes be made to the kind of gameplay. What used to be fighting games, for instance, will work better as 'beat-em-up' models.
Now, people who have been gaming on PCs have developed trust in the big game developers. They will, thus, accept the new genres much more quickly if they come from the large franchises. Netmarble, for instance, has shown this intent, with the display of mobile game King of Fighters All-Stars at the E3 2019.
In most aspects, the mobile has become potent because it does not need to have ample storage anymore. Much of the stuff which users need can be streamed or cloud accessed. 2020, however, appears to be a little too early for this model to be actualized in mobile gaming.
Players will still need to have games locally installed on their phones to play. To this end, phone manufacturers can be lauded for improving most specs of the mobile phone, making it suitable for gaming in the first place. Streaming, however, is something which will have to wait a bit longer, as support infrastructure grows.
Mobile gaming is fast becoming a mainstream way to play. This article explores what the year 2020 holds for the fast-evolving playing model.
