At the time of writing, the gaming industry is one of the world’s fastest-growing markets. However, recent reports have cast doubt over Apple’s role in the sector’s future.
Throughout the past decade, the tech giants have been at the forefront of the mobile gaming market, although the landscape may change significantly over the coming years. So, are Apple at risk of being left behind, or could they once again lead a tech-based revolution?
Indications that Consumer Habits are Changing
According to https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-research-sensortower/apple-users-may-spend-more-on-non-gaming-mobile-apps-by-2024-report/, the brand’s existing user base may spend more on non-gaming applications by 2024. At the start of 2020, this wasn’t the case, with Apple’s audience investing in game-related opportunities. To showcase the 45-year-old organisation’s predicted decline, the same report states that, by 2025, it’s forecasted that just 42 per cent of the App Store’s total revenue will stem from gaming purchases. By comparison, Android’s Google Play will sit at 71 per cent.
Although this speaks volumes about the evolution of other mobile applications, such as video-streaming services, it does indicate that consumer habits are somewhat changing. In 2019, gaming accounted for 65.8 per cent of the company’s App Store revenue. As such, it’s significant that that figure is forecast to drop by 23.8 per cent. Google Play, meanwhile, will only drop by 11.6 per cent between 2019 to 2025, as per sensortower.com/blog/app-revenue-and-downloads-2020/.
Fascinatingly, the volume of consumer downloads isn’t set to drop, illustrating that Apple’s role as an app-driven mobile service is on the decline. Downloads are predicted to increase from 28.4 billion to 36.9 billion in Europe between 2020 and 2025. Theoretically, this should open the door to target further game-related opportunities. However, that doesn’t look plausible for Apple.
Not Necessarily a Bad Thing
On the face of it, Apple’s declining revenues imply that, during the mid-2020s, they’ll fade into the background. However, that’s not inevitable. To combat their app-orientated dip, there’s no reason that the tech giants can’t move towards a browser-focused gaming future. At present, many of the most popular games on the market are accessible via smartphone web browsers. For example, https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/great-mobile-games-play-in-browser states that a whole host of titles, including Candy Rain 2, Indi Cannon, and Speed Pool King are playable via a smartphone browser.
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However, it isn’t only the above creations that strive to offer immersive browser gameplay. In the midst of their supposed pending decline, Apple would do well to take inspiration from the online casino industry. At the time of writing, many of the operators listed at https://www.bonusfinder.com/uk/casino-bonus/no-deposit/ have optimised their platforms to ensure smooth running on mobile browsers. Now, new no-deposit casinos, such as LeoVegas, who offer new users ten no-deposit spins, have sought to make their site mobile-friendly. Fundamentally, although users don’t need compatible apps, it hasn’t impacted the long-term growth and profitability of the online casino industry. As such, there’s no reason that Apple can’t adopt a similar approach.
Declines Present an Opportunity to Evolve
Ultimately, if consumer habits are evolving, it’s of utmost importance that Apple also embraces change. Although Apple will remain a leading figure in smartphone gaming, they’re at risk of being surpassed by Android-operating manufacturers. Because of that, the brand must think outside of the box and tackle their pending app decline head-on.