Important Mobile Gaming Statistics & How it is Evolving in the UAE

Just like any other teenager, here’s how my story began. I happily fell the victim to gaming. As the years went by, my addiction became more tenacious. It all started with a desktop PC which later moved on to other devices. I was introduced to the world of consoles and finally, smartphones. I don’t know how many of you remember playing Blood or Duke Nukem 3D, they were my portals into the universe of FPS games. Two decades have passed and I am still hooked to Battlefield 1 and Star Wars: Battlefront.

But, here’s what you can’t ignore, life tells a different story every one of us. As I grew older, I realized that the time I invest in playing these giant games on console and computer has far gone into the abyss. I have other responsibilities to adhere to such as my job, my family and more. So, practically, I am unable to find some time in my busy schedule to give to my beloved console and desktop for playing video games. However, thanks to smart technology, I got the chance to start with RPGs all over once again. I started playing games like Arcane Legends & Domination and crazily I got hooked to these MMOs for like a lifetime.

When I started playing these games, it became obvious to me that I am not the only person who is logging into their servers from my town. I found quite a few Emiratis playing and boy oh boy! I must say I am truly amazed how interactively they play. Emiratis are great at strategy building and when it comes to gaming, they know which moves are most effective and when it’s time to safely retreat.

For example, Clash of Clans was one of the many games where I found that Emiratis are not only creating their own clans but they are more reluctant at reaching the top of the leaderboard. They were not only tactical, but they knew how to build powerful teams and beat others at their own strategy.

I often wonder what do the statistics of mobile gaming has to say about it all. If mobile gaming is taking its toll on a global scale how is it evolving and affecting the UAE market? Let’s find out.

What Do Statistics Have to Say About Mobile Gaming?

A recently published report on the global market states that more than $115 billion is invested in mobile gaming this year. With an approximated investment worth $50 billion, mobile gaming industry accounts for nearly half of the overall gaming industry in the year 2018. Today, more than 800,000 different mobile games are available across the app store and all of these gaming apps account for a total of 80% of the total revenue generated from all mobile apps on the market.

Observing how the global trend for mobile gaming is growing at a rapid pace, the Middle East has also started playing their role in making due contribution to the fan club. Games like Asphalt 8: Airborne, Soul Blade, Clash of Clans, Modern Strike, Shadowgun, Domination and more have gained a considerate amount of attention among the middle easterners in the world of Arabs. Adcolony EMEA took the audacity to conduct a deeper research in countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and UAE. Apparently, they found out that more than 84% of the female individuals and almost 87% of the male individuals spend 20-40 minutes of their time gaming each day.

How the Mobile Gaming Landscape’s Changing in the UAE?

YaneckThailer the managing director at the Ubisoft office in Abu Dhabi has noticed that the mobile gaming sector within the UAE is at gradually flourishing and will open new doors of investment in the coming days.

At one of the occasions he stated:

“The fast adoption of digital content in the region, as well as the localization of games in Arabic,  is contributing to the fast growth in the region, the gaming segment is the biggest segment in the ecosystem of smartphone manufacturers, and it will grow even further in the coming years. Manufacturers are aware of this trend and are trying to improve the experience and ease of the players in all possible aspects.”

He believes that localization has done a great deal of benefit for the future gamers in Arab. Most Arabs are more comfortable in using applications which support their native mother-tongue and when infamous games are available in Arabic language localization it provides them a more domestic experience. It’s particularly what the Arabs have always been seeking, it helps them easily understand the mechanics and get along with the strategy building just fine. Most game developers who have understood the importance of localization are now designing games which offer the option of choosing Arabic as the native gaming language in order to provide the comfort of gaming to Arab individuals.

Even David Wang, the country manager for Huawei Consumer Business UAE believes that mobile gaming community has dramatically grown within the UAE. He said,

“Gaming has grown significantly within the UAE, becoming home to the world’s most active gaming community, with smartphone penetration taking over, 60 percent of the online population are gamers – playing PC, console, or mobile games, and are always looking for the highest quality production games. We at Huawei aim to give our users the best gaming experience with the Huawei Mate 10 Pro. Developed with intelligent speed and intelligent power, this device has built-in AI that gives gamers a speed like no other, withstanding graphics and the best battery life to endure the long gaming hours.”

How Augmented Reality is Transforming Gaming Technologies

With the advent of Augmented Reality, games such as the Pokemon Go made it to the mobile screens giving rise to a whole new world of AR games. Since traditional mobile gaming is already quite an addiction, introduction to games like Pokemon Go peaked the gaming experience for users to a whole new level. Today, however, things in the AR-based mobile gaming world is now moving from traditional perspectives to more primitive ones.

Instead of going with another travel the world and capture a character type game, game dev specialists have come up with ideas where there is more to offer to the world. For instance, in Clash & Go, you are able to you can experience a deep layered gameplay by mixing up the tower defense strategy genre with Augmented Reality giving customers a whole new world to discover. While, most AR games inquire you to take a walk around your neighborhood to interact with people and virtual characters, Clash & GO will allow you to put aside your worries of roaming around the neighborhood. You can always stay at your base, upgrade it, play some single campaigns and fight against another player for resources.

Just to make things a bit more interesting, the Clash & Go is featuring CGO tokens which will allow players to move objects in the GO map and change their virtual surroundings.

How Beneficial Is the Online Mobile Game Industry?

Earlier in a show, Hakim Abu Nahel, commentator, and host of Power League Gaming also stated that gone are the days when mobile gaming platform was considered a source of distraction.

“Introducing games like Hearthstone, Clash Royale and Pokémon Go a few years back was one of the first steps to connecting the masses into a multiplayer game that resulted in putting mobile gaming on the map both locally and globally, it was the moment when the leading Battle Royale titles Playerunknown’s Battleground and Epic Game Studios Fortnite hit the iOS and Android stores that we have seen mobile gaming reach its full potential.”

Fortnite alone made a fortune worth $57 million dollars on its opening weekend as the app hit the Android and iOS store. It made a further $126 million with multiple in-app purchases a month after its launch.

Endnote

When games like Fortnite make their way into the market, it becomes a real eye-opener for entrepreneurs to consider investing their finances in the mobile gaming industry. UAE is one market where individuals are more likely involved in experiencing gameplay rather than creating gaming experiences for others. Just imagine how profitable investment will it turn out if a business tycoon from our homeland is capable to create a mobile app that’s worth a million dollars or even more.

Do you have a unique idea for a gaming application? Or are you willing to make investments, so you can create one for your business? Talk to us and we will pitch you a wonderful idea, so you can create a next level gaming environment for your customers.