10 predictions for the future of iPhone gaming
What do the next few months have in store for the App Store?
Games have clearly shot up Apple's priorities list, thanks to their huge success on the App Store. Developers and publishers have been making big money from the titles near the top of the charts, boosting the reputation of mobile gaming as a whole.
So what now? Over on PocketGamer.biz, we've put together our ten predictions for what's going to happen next in iPhone gaming. Here's a potted summary:
1. Lots more ports of console games will hit the App Store, trying to 'do a Super Monkey Ball'.
2. Apple will get more hands-on, hopefully correcting more of the App Store's flaws as a games retailer.
3. More social games will crossover from Facebook to iPhone, from companies like SGN and Playfish.
4. There'll be a new wave of advergames – free games promoting brands –following the popularity of iPint and LightSaber Unleashed.
5. Pricing will top out at £5.99 for top titles, but will skew lower for casual games.
6. Indie developers will continue to have big hits, following in the footsteps of Toy Bot Diaries, Trism, Kroll and others.
7. Advertising will play more of a role – in-game ads may become more common in the months ahead.
8. We'll see more games using the iPhone's camera, connectivity and GPS features, as developers get more experienced with the SDK.
9. Apple will make it easier for companies to offer free demos of their games, and it'll be a neater solution than the current 'release a Lite version' strategy.
10. More casual games firms will follow PlayFirst and PopCap in launching their top games on the App Store.
That's the overview, but there's plenty more analysis and explanation on the original PocketGamer.biz article.
