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Games on mobile phones have always been overlooked and tagged as low-quality games without much depth or variety. However, as of recent years, the quality of mobile phones paired with the innovation within mobile gaming developers may be a pairing that prompts a shift in the landscape of gaming and what gamers choose as their optimum device.
The initial introduction to games on mobile phones is somewhat nostalgic to many, with games such as Snake being so memorable on old and extremely popular Nokia phones and its popularity spurred on a trend for mobile phones specifically made for gaming to release, which was the case for many mobile phone companies.
Now, mobile phones have an immense set of capabilities – there’s more computing power in a modern mobile phone than the equipment that went to the moon. Playing games on a mobile is still just as popular, but as of the last few years, indulging in exciting online slots, table, and card games have all begun competing for top spot for mobile-friendly entertainment options. With exciting experiences available on-the-go, paired with multi-device optimization, it’s no surprise why these types of games are paving the way for mobile-powered gaming.
Call of Duty Mobile is everything the fans wanted in their console iterations
Call of Duty is often referred to as the greatest game franchise to ever release with hundreds of millions of unique players logging into at least one of the editions of the games. When Call of Duty released on mobile in 2019 it had one of the greatest game releases of all time, generating over 270 million unique downloads within its first year.
While this number is fantastic, the fact the game is a free to play version doesn’t really draw a surprise from the community. There are a mound of factors as to why the release did so well and this included the addition of handfuls of maps and weapons familiar to many and somewhat nostalgic.
The ‘Warzone’ game mode release followed suit in its’ popularity, as this was accessible to many more users and strangely had much more content available than in the newer releases, which only angered its active players on games such as Modern Warfare 2019, Modern Warfare 2 and Vanguard. The weapons included alone in the mobile edition are far more balanced than those found on console editions.
Can the mobile edition of the game really compete?
Rumours around the community are that the beloved Warzone map ‘Verdansk’ is set to be added to the mobile game as the optimum map and those rumours sent the gaming community haywire.
If you’re unaware of how popular this map is, it can simply be put as you would not be able to find a fan or player of these games that disliked the map. The map which replaced this received a mass amount of hate and players have been calling for the return of Verdansk since.
While Activision are incredibly aware of this, they are also aware that the vested interest in the map is enough to keep players hopes alive that the map will return in the 2nd edition of Warzone, despite it being incredibly unlikely. This is exactly why the return of the map on the mobile Call of Duty may set the mobile gaming community alight.
Why would anyone flip from console to using a generic mobile?
Mobile devices are far cheaper to acquire, to maintain and also travel around with. With any console, you’ll need your TV, the console, a controller and headphones, so it’s not hard to imagine the difficulty for someone who is constantly on-the-go to get their teeth stuck into a game. This is of course, considering that the user doesn’t have an all in one gaming travel pack.
Using a mobile device also has its positives, such as the fact that external equipment, which could include a make-shift controller for mobile with joy-sticks, charging stations and other equipment that could aid the gaming experience are also far cheaper and the market for them is extremely competitive. Creating newer equipment aligned with operating with a console is far more difficult.
For Android devices, much of the equipment you can find which is compatible with gaming is far cheaper as the markets for them are far more competitive. While the fact remains that many would choose a console over a mobile gaming set-up, many underestimate how powerful small changes are such as the addition of specified maps, weapons and characters.
Android 14 may shake things up
In terms of the shape of the mobile gaming market, the competition between Apple and Android has always been a tough one and the newest Android update may even out the playing field. The introduction of multi-app use, which is already prominent on Apple devices, may be something which grasps the attention of many apple users and this update will certainly aid the mobile gaming market.
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