7 Biggest Challenges Faced in Mobile Game Development

The mobile game app development industry has seen a massive boom in the past few years. If we look out at its market stats, then the numbers are entirely jaw-dropping; according to reports, 87% of people spend their time using mobile apps, in which 34% is on game applications.

From Candy Crush, Royal Clash to PUBG, the industry has developed millions of outstanding games. But creating a game app is not as easy as it looks.

The demand and success of technologies like AI, AR, and VR have made game development more challenging. Now, app owners and users' expectations are increasing, and it ultimately raises challenges for the mobile game app developers. 

Below we discuss some of the most pertinent challenges in mobile game development the industry faces.

Know your target audience- End-users are the ultimate station that decides the success and failure of an application. Different audiences have different game appeals, and it creates a massive kiosk for businesses.

Some gamers prefer action games while others prefer arcade. Therefore, how to identify the right audience is one of the most daunting tasks for gaming companies? Here you can use multiple ways to get an idea about your potential users, like by creating personas, online surveys, and reviewing stats based on demographics (age, gender, location), etc.

Advancements in technologies- Today, technology has completely influenced the gaming industry, the games with advanced technologies are high in demand. One of the most outstanding examples is Pokémon Go, which has changed the gaming industry's entire paradigm.

The use of AR has made that game a complete sensation among the users. And its success creates a significant challenge for businesses choosing the best suitable development technology for the app and deciding on whether to make a Native, Hybrid, or Cross-platform mobile application. To make your game application successful and demanding, make sure you select the right technology because the right start will take you in the right direction. 

GFX and Sound- Imagine you have decided to create an action game like PUBG, but the graphics and the sounds you chose to implement are not up to the mark; what will be the end results? The game fails to satisfy the users, and ultimately it loses the market. Therefore, it is essential to select good graphics and sound because these are the two fundamental pillars that help attract the users towards the platform.

A hardcore gamer will always review the graphics and sound first; if it does not find it suitable, he/she indeed quit the game. Hence, selecting a robust sound and appealing graphics is also a significant challenge in mobile game app development.

Device compatibility and screen size- Device compatibility is another important challenge in mobile game app development. There are several games that are not supported by every device, and hence they lost their target users. Today the users demand such applications that are compatible with multiple devices.

Some gamers like to play on big PC screens; some prefer tablets, while others play on their smartphones. Therefore, the principal challenge is to develop an app that can run flawlessly across as many devices with as many screen sizes as possible. Apart from the device compatibility, screen resolutions, size, pixels densities also matter.

For making an app compatible with every device, the OS also plays a substantial role. To determine the correct screen size and device compatibility, all you need to do is perfect market research. Ensure that your app works smoothly on every device, whether it is a smartphone or a tablet.

Storyline- To retain the users, implementing a storyline in the game app is a winning step. But creating a game with a good storyline is not an easy task; it is one of the most challenging processes.

There are already many games available at the app stores with the same storyline and category like war, fantasy, racing, puzzle. Differentiating your game app from the competitors and fits in that particular category is the most challenging task. But with the right internal logic, history, characters, music, and sound, you can create a unique game application.

Funding

Another challenge in mobile game app development is to raise funds for the games. Without proper funding, you will not get a good start. But there are multiple ways by which you can raise adequate funds for your gaming application, including angel investors, venture funding, crowdfunding, personal capital, and loans. 

Monetization- Another significant challenge in mobile game app development is to generate revenue from your gaming application. There are various marketing practices available in the market, but it is difficult for the game developers to decide the best revenue model for their game apps. Below are some of the prominent techniques that are used to generate a good amount of revenues-

• In-app purchases
• CPI Model
• Paid subscriptions
• Advertisements

The selection of revenue models entirely depends upon the type of game and the target audience. 

Wrap up- 

Mobile game app development is not an easy task; it requires a lot of effort, time, money, and patience to turn your dream app into reality. The target market, audience, technologies, a focused development approach, and the right game app development company help overcome all the mobile game development process obstacles. 

About This Author

Vipin Nehra Joined: February 24th, 2020