Mobile gaming has surged during the last few years. As per studies, the first quarter of 2021 alone saw more than 14 billion mobile game downloads around the world across the two app stores, out of which 11.8 billion downloads were on the Android App Store!
In getting away from repetitive routines, it’s great to change into a made-up character and love the speedy rushes. But, have you thought about how the action comes to you? Obviously, the wizards-at-work do all the prep with much more going into it.
Steps in Mobile Game Development
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Develop a Unique Concept
A new idea is the premise of a game. The better the idea, the better the chances of getting a game hit. It is an important step because if you release a copy of an existing product, your chances of success are very low. You have to come up with an out-of-the-box idea, something that hasn’t been thought of yet.
Think of something unique or add a twist on an existing idea. Identify the right style, and then it will be much easier. New challenges, variations and animations make mobile games engrossing.
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Weave a Fascinating Story
Stories are key to the mobile app development process in games. It helps to inform your app users about the features and purpose of your game. Tell them the full story with stages, characters, contests and prizes. Your story can attract your target audience and help you make a profit. Stories let people feel connected to the characters, and that’s exactly what you need to achieve with some games.
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Create a Game Plan
A game plan helps you to effectively express and execute your ideas. It must include graphics and design. The other key factors include:
a. Mechanism
The game mechanism is about user experience and the rules of the game. It is about the steps the player takes to reach the goal of the game.
b. Story and Aesthetics
The story plays a big role and creates the right atmosphere for the game. Aesthetics define how the game looks, feels and sounds.
c. Technology or Mobile Operating System
It’s about the devices that can run your game and the features your game will use.
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Choose a Mobile Platform
Android or an iOS game? Confused? Most users use Android-based smartphones, but the iOS platform offers a significantly greater potential for revenue. Choosing one platform is like launching your game for a limited market.
If you want to achieve maximum reach for the maximum reach for your game, you should opt for multi-platform development. However, this would depend on your budget and whether it can support development costs for a cross platform application.
If your development costs are limited, researching your target audience can help you decide which platform to deploy the app in. If a majority of your users are on the Android platform, then opt for Android game development, and if the majority of users are iOS users, then choose iOS application development services.
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Choose a Mobile Game Engine
Choosing the right platform to develop your game is a critical important step and having the right backend technology and game development engine helps.
You can choose from multiple platforms. For 3D graphics, Unity3D is perfect, thanks to its simple language, Corona SDK, artistic environments, CryEngine, etc. You can choose from backend languages like C++, C#, Python, etc. for game development.
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Create a Game Design Document
With your game conceptualized, move on to game design documentation. This detailed document gives details about the game, its technologies, elements, design, feel, architecture and more. It helps to analyze user feedback, understand their reactions to specific changes, as well as know what they like and dislike. It is a live document where feedback can be given. It is also open to any changes in the game.
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Outline the Game Structure
The final pull is the key. Users will play your game if it has incredible and unique graphics and visuals. Mapping the game structure involves drawing characters, environment, textures, other objects, etc. All of these arrangements define what your game presents. 2D and 3D elements will highlight and polish your game’s visuals and experiences. And, yes, don’t overlook the coding and designing for that complete package.
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Build a Game Wireframe or Prototype
Wireframes are the blueprint of your app. It provides a clear view of how your app will work, look and feel. In simple words, a wireframe is a prototype. An expensive process, game development essentially states that one develops a wireframe or prototype of a game to get an idea of how it works and looks.
The wireframe will serve as a visual guide to how the game will work. Being a model, it may not provide a complete graphical experience, but it will be enough to decide on the appeal of a sport.
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Develop your Mobile Game
After all the checks, and once the prototype is passed, the actual game development begins. In other words, the app will be created. This is an important process that requires attention to the smallest details.
By now, you must have also decided about the gaming platform. The app will be developed for all the platforms you want to target, and all the functionalities and features will be infused into the game. For excellent user experience and better engagement, using the best tools and technologies work.
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Conduct Mobile Game Testing
Have you tested the effectiveness of your game before launch? You cannot develop, and launch the game directly in the market. This game is the culmination of months, if not years of hard work put in by multiple stakeholders, so make sure you launch a product that is smooth and upto the expectations of your target audience by ensuring regular quality checks.
Professional developers test mobile games by offering and running beta versions on various devices. It shows various bugs that may occur in the game. Testing will ensure that your game is rid of unnecessary elements and bugs before it is launched.
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The Monetization Part
According to a recent Global Games Market Report, the gaming industry is expected to be worth almost $200 billion by 2022. Is your game also about ROI? Along with focusing on the technical aspects of mobile game development, you should think about the monetization mechanism of your product.
In successful mobile games, monetization depends on the goal of the game. But the purchase should be helpful to gamers, and not mandatory. Increased engagement and desire to reach the goal can lead to in-app purchases, monthly subscriptions, sponsored ads, premium versions, real money games, etc. So ensure there is an income strategy as well.
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Launch your Mobile Game
You have finally developed the game, tested it, selected the monetization strategy. It is now ready to be launched. Is launching a mobile game an easy task? Your game must meet the relevant App Store standards. The respective App Store review team will review the game. Once they’re satisfied, they’ll make your game live on the App Store for users to download.
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Upgrades, Support and Maintenance
Launched an app and it’s over? There is more to come. Launching an app is not enough. Challenges are always welcome while playing a game so you have to support the users, and keep the game going. To keep the app interesting you have to update it. You can do this by adding new modes, levels, features, etc.
Users want new elements, so introducing weekly and monthly upgrades and events can help keep users interested and coming back for more.
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Promotion and Marketing
Promotional material directly affects the number of game downloads. A potential player who visits an app page will decide whether or not to download the game, based on how the product is marketed. Include some screenshots, a text description and a video trailer with a demo in action.
Your target audience needs to see the product, so attract as much attention as possible. Marketing work in the launch phase can help the game get the right coverage.
Conclusion
Instagram and Twitter exist but Candy Crush Saga, Roblox, Pokémon, PUBG, etc. are still the top favorites for mobile device users. Android, iOS and other mobile platforms are being upgraded to accommodate advanced mobile games.
The volume of mobile gamers is expected to reach over 3.07 billion by 2023. This shows that the market has the potential to accommodate various types of games. It also means that mobile games stand out as user needs become even more demanding. Mobile app development & game development is fast turning into a multinational industry, and you can also be a part of it.
