Mobile gaming (including the iGaming sector) is a booming market right now. This could be due to the increased usage of smartphones and easy access to the internet. Extensive marketing schemes, thrilling VR effects, popular endorsements, etc., boost the iGaming sector. Developers have taken notice and are hard at work coming up with plans for developing the next great mobile game.
Usually, entrepreneurs regard start-up investments in the iGaming sector as higher. Secondly, enforcement of ethical laws and licensing is quite a steady process. But, the competent newer generations envision lucrative business ideas due to the high profits and opportunities of the mobile gaming industry. Just like most other internet-based businesses, the prerequisite to start up is to have essential knowledge, skills, and experience in internet marketing. Customer satisfaction and pleasure also stand as top-notch priorities. To plan and start a mobile game, entrepreneurs should look into some milestones, such as the selection of appropriate software, licensing, etc.
Your First Steps for Developing a Mobile Game
For developing a mobile game, the entrepreneur should indulge in dedication with sheer creativity using the latest technologies. There should be a well-maintained strategy of a thrilling game, with bonus features which is compatible with all electronic devices. Here are the initial steps toward developing a mobile game.
Develop an Idea
It is speculated that no business starts without developing a specific idea. For example, founders such as Isai Scheinberg (the person standing behind PokerStars) suggest a strategic development of the idea, which begins with a very promising website design and opting for creating high-quality software. He suggests checking competitors of successful casino operators such as My Stake. Good programming sets a ploy for everything, including your game’s average pricing, safety, popularity, etc.
According to Scheinberg, a well-designed website is a focal point for attracting potential customers to a mobile casino game and generating their interest. The website should possess all the content, including the info, payment portals, etc. An attractive and organized platform drives users to sneak a peek. Moreover, entrepreneurs should look into the front-end integration attached to the database to enhance existing navigation usability. This sets forth the creation of an exceptionally critical layout for the website’s performance.
Make a Business Plan
Sound and sharp mind is crucial for building a mobile game. A business plan should have a framework for deciding content and quality. It should also enable extensive marketing strategies for popularizing the game to earn revenue. Creating a mobile game does include a bunch of expenses. It is suggestive that a business plan should envision a finance plan in setting up expenses to divide around 30-40% of overall costs, and marketing activities 30-40%. Finally, the licensing procedures add up to 10-20%.
Decide on the Game Design and Contents
It is to be kept in mind that trending mobile video games pay high attention to game content, as their player base requires the variability of game mechanics, slick overall design, beautiful art, and so on. A mobile game should be fun, engaging, not too difficult (but not too easy, either), and should not be based on the “pay-to-win” principle. There should also be 24×7 customer support services in terms of chats and phones to smoothen the gaming experience.
Find Licensing and Payment Solutions
If you are going to use third-party products or content in your game (e.g., background music, characters, etc.) you must consider licensing issues. Be sure to make agreements with the owners of intellectual property that you are planning to use for building your mobile game. Also, if you are developing a mobile casino game, it is crucial to follow the legislation of the country you want to run your game, and obtain a gambling licence. The most popularly followed gambling jurisdictions include licensing from the United Kingdom, Malta, Curacao, Alderney, Isle of Man, and Gibraltar. Both the players and the entrepreneurs look into licensing based on popularity and reputation. Other factors to look into are pricing and tenure of the licenses.
Along with licensing, your app should also have a clear framework of payments, so that transactions (buying DLCs or in-game content, depositing, etc.) can be carried out smoothly. The e-payment gateways are required to be functional and checked thoroughly. To process a secure payment gateway, knowledge of banking, accountancy, and business dealings is required, and the entrepreneur should sign up legal agreements with the transaction providers. Furthermore, you might want to consider incorporating the latest payment options such as Bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies.
Promote Your Mobile Game
Marketing and PR is an absolute must for any online business. In fact, an effective marketing strategy, along with a team is required. This would generate traffic, as well as website engagement. Social media expertise is also required to promote the game.
Conclusion
Mobile gaming is a fierce market that is developing rapidly. According to the statistics, the estimated global mobile gaming market value in 2023 was around $152.50 billion, which is an enormous amount of money. Considering the high competition, anyone new to the field should have prior knowledge about the hurdles on the way.
If you want your product to make it to the list of great games for smartphones, you need to look into strategic approaches with a creative mind by implementing new trends to secure the customers’ best interests. These days, VR, and AR techniques are quite popular, and so are the metaverse dimensions, 3D avatars, etc. While as lucrative as the opportunities might sound, extremely hard work and zeal to survive the cut-throat competition are required.