Author: Hashbyte Studio

Android is the most popular and widely used operating system for mobile phones, also the operating system is used in consoles, PCs, TVs, digital cameras, and wristwatches. With advanced technologies and evolved gadgets, the digital world offers a portable, flexible, and engaging experience. Therefore, game development that was restricted to consoles, PCs, and other devices is now integrated into mobile technology.

Android game development is growing successfully in the market and the game developers are striving hard to push the limitations and explore the wide services of the Android operating system. 

The main reason why game developers in India opt to work with Android OS is because of the following features, like

• Developer friendly hardware ecosystem
• Customizable look and feel with interactive features
• Ability to build a wide variety of design elements
• An efficient and flexible software platform
• Smooth and intuitive user interface

Also, exceptional games to intermediate mobile games are claiming 90% profit in the Google Play Store. 

Best of Android Game Development Platform

The Android game development platform offers developers with few significant features that enable developers to create amazing game apps. 

Programming Languages

Android uses the most widely recognized scripting languages like C++ and Java. Also, the Native development kit (NDK) and Software development kit (SDK) is built in the familiar language, and this makes it easy for developers to build interactive games within a short span of time. 

Ease of Building Multiplayer

The special aspect of Android game development is that the developers can design various controls of their game with the range of sensor systems that are available in the Android mobile devices and tablets. Solid connectivity is provided via CDMA/GSM/EDGE, LTE, IDEN, Wi-Fi, etc for Android devices. Because of this amazing support of Android devices on various networks, the developers have no trouble building multiplayer games. 

Unique Interface

The unique interface of the Android platform offers direct manipulation which makes it easy to interact with the users by receiving feedback, real-time dynamic actions, and an object of interest. The users can efficiently perform general gestures like dragging, tapping, swiping, and other multi-touch actions using the touch interface. These are some of the most significant factors involved while building interactive and user-friendly gaming apps. 

Efficient submission process

The process of submitting a game app in the online market is easy in the case of the Android platform when compared to the others. Android allows the developers for one-time charges to submit the game app, therefore it is easy to attract a larger user base without spending much. Another best part of Android development is the ease of distributing the game from the developer’s personal website or channel. Therefore, the developers need not wait for the review and approval of the Google App Store. 

Services and Updates

 Google often provides its customers with unconventional updates that offer users amazing facilities. After the new version of Android called Froyo, Google has introduced a closed system service known as the Google Play Store. It has a unique application programming interface that is useful for Android game development. 

Excellent Support 

The main reason for Android to become a popular domain is its capability to give support for multimedia operations. Therefore, the developers have the liberty to access multimedia objects within the game and strengthen the game experience. 

User experience

Android games have real-time interaction with excellent game controls with GPS sensors based on the theme of the game, and gravity. These features make the user experience incredible. Android games offer exceptional user experience because of the high-definition graphics visual quality delivered using the OpenGL and dynamic gesture control. Android game development even supports virtual reality to develop VR based games. 

Game Making made Simple 

The configuration process is easier for the developers to understand and implement and when it comes to game apps, the hardware configuration of the device is less provisional and provides minimum standards. Also, Android supports third-party tools that make the developing process simpler and agile. 

Growth of the Android Platform and Game Development

The advancements in gaming technology have given immense chances for game developers to build incredible games. A good game is born with the best game ideas that are implemented in an explicit game arena. 

You can categorize the game based on the type, age group of the players, payment mode, and etc. You can create a variety of games on the Android platform like a racing game to a strategy game to a simple board game with single or multiplayer mode. 

Start with an Idea

The significant part of building a successful game begins with a killer idea. The potential element of the idea should be engaging and innovative. Your ideas should impress the audience and help you to generate profit in the market. 

Simple but Addictive

The game you build should be innovative and at the same time simple with a gradual increase in the difficulty level. When your game is addictive, the players spend more time playing your game. The best way to make the game addictive is to keep the game simple, yet engaging with complex levels. 

Explicit Design and Graphics

Understand that building a game is quite trivial than building an application. Give importance to the game design to sustain and succeed in the gaming field. Every good game design includes various factors like the storyline of the game, the characters in the game, and the final look of the game. A design with minimal weight gives a good user experience.

Monetization goal

When building a game be sure of the monetization factors as well. Game development is a time consuming as well as an expensive process. Decide the monetization strategy for the game, there are different ways to monetize the game, like premium version, advertisements within the app, and in-app purchases.

Conclusion

Android game development is gaining more popularity in recent times and many aspiring game developers are inclined towards this platform. The main reason behind choosing Android game development is because it is fun and enriching to learn and gain experience in this field. Android platform is the best platform that gives developers the opportunity to learn and explore more within the platform. 

The mobile phones are compelling enough for the game developers to gain user attention and it is leading the global revenue generation factor in the gaming industry. According to a survey on the global revenue generated by the gaming sector, it was found that PC and console games contribute 24% and 25%, while 51% of the revenue is generated by mobile gaming. 

Mobile Game Genres Have Their Price

Mobile game development is a popular niche. However, the bitter truth is that not all the games turn into successful ones. Just recreating a famous game does not bring success, through market research has to be done before the ideation of the game. And the crucial part is deciding the genre of the game because it is related to the budget. 

There are a few mobile game genres available with different categories. We cannot define a particular category as a successful one, or games build in that particular category results in success. The success factor depends on several factors. Based on a report released by Newzoo, the top-ranked games of 2018 have generated ten times higher than the estimated market value, while 15% of mobile game development companies have gained nothing from the app. 

What is The Role of the Game Category in Revenue Generation

Can a game’s success be predicted? What is the secret to getting to the top rank in the list? What type of games attain success? 

To answer all these generic questions, we have to do market research on the game genres and how it influences the profit of the game. 

We have all come across the hyper-casual games, games that are called lightweight games that have instant gameplay with simple mechanics. These kinds of games are mostly addictive because of short sessions that help players to instantly hook up to their target. However, when we take a look at Google Play, the best gaming apps are classified into hardcore or mid-core games. 

Hardcore game: The hardcore games are directed towards a particular set of players, who are interested in a specific genre of games. They spend quality time learning the difficulty and high level of engagement of the game. 

Mid-core game: The mid-core games are a little more challenging than the casual games, that needs ranking among the players and requires strategic thinking. 

And based on the prediction of game development companies, the thin gap between the hardcore and mid-core games would fade away when the mid-core games have complex functionalities and serious feature sets, while hardcore games become easily accessible.

When you take a look at the top-selling games in Play Store and App Store, the chart consists of only the mid-core games that are built for the loyal players, while the best free games are the hyper-casual games. 

When you wonder which one of them gained profit, it is definitely the mid-core games. For example, the famous Clash of Clans game is six years old game, but is still a profitable and popular mobile game, with 13,000 daily downloads and generating a daily revenue of $329647. While the hyper-casual and casual games don’t last for a longer period of time.

Some of the popular game genres are:

City Building: Is a simulation game in which the players have to build a sustainable construction so that the people in the gameplay can survive through various conditions. 

Battle Royale: This is a fighting game, where only one fighter ultimately survives.

Match 3: In this game, the player will have to align identical elements in a line.

Turn-based RPG: In this game, the player has to lead the character under various actions so as to overthrow the opponent.

Endless Runner: The players will have constrained control over the game characters that keep going forward in the game. 

Nevertheless, some of the game’s popularity is based on user engagement and the functionality of the game. Therefore, you need not assume that all the games that generate millions of downloads are profitable ones, because, in the end, a mobile game’s commercial success is based on the revenue generation. 

Monetization Mechanism for the Mobile Games

When you take a look at the Play Store, there are three million apps available in which only 3% of the apps are paid apps. The freemium apps are dominating the mobile game market and this means that the users get the app for free, however, they have to pay for certain additional contents. 

Some of the monetization methods of the freemium games are:

In-app Purchases: This method of monetization is used by most games because it helps the game developers avoid the ads and allow the user to use the in-game purchases to upgrade the game. The interesting fact about the in-app purchases is, 50% of the revenue is generated from less than one percent of the users. 

Reward advertisements: This is one of the welcoming formats that is socially acceptable and the players find it beneficial because watching an ad gives the in-app rewards, like virtual currency, customized game elements, or extra lives. Allowing the players to earn coins for watching a video gives a break from the constant tapping.

Advertisement: When it comes to hyper-casual games, the developers try to use the in-game ads as a monetization strategy. But many players find it irritating to see ads the moment they complete a level. They think the game development companies gain more monetization through this method. 

Subscription: Though this form of monetization is overlooked by the developers, this is the future of the monetization mechanism. Let’s see how it works, so once the developer subscribes some amount is written off to their card and it is easy for the players. 

Summing up

A game developed with insightful competitive intelligence, productive user acquisition strategy, and excellent game design can uphold any kind of competition. Always remember the success of an app is based on the user engagement and monetization mechanism. 

Building great games has never been much easier, all thanks to the free game development software and open source game engines. There were days when you had to work for the game developers that had sophisticated tools, but now you can easily build a game of your own regardless of the budget. 

While talking about game engines, there are plenty of game engine tools available in the market that help you in building a great game. Though the option is wide open, how do know which game engine suits you and your game best?

Well, there are few ways in which you have to choose the best-suited game development tool that is best for you and the game. 

Ways to choose the best game development platform

Choosing a game development tool that is best for the game is not an easy task, you have to consider certain criteria while selecting the game engine. 

Let us take a look at the logical step by step process before choosing the game. 

Picture the big elements

Before you start with anything, you should understand the game. There is much more to know more than the storyline of the game. Understand the genre, what type of game are you planning to build? Is it a single-player or multiplayer game? What is the mood of the game? The kind of user experience. You have to consider these elements long before you step into choosing the best game engine. 

Dimensions do matter

Planning out the dimension in which you are trying to create the game matters. Are you planning to build a 3D or 2D game? Because it is an obvious distinction and is a considerable factor while deciding the game engine. 

Decide the platform

Is your game being played on PCs, mobile, Xbox, Playstation, etc? Are you building a multi-platform game? There are certain game engines that do not let you publish games on all platforms. Therefore, you have to decide this before choosing the game development tool. 

Programming language

What is the scripting language you are going to use for your game? The programming language that you choose should likely be native for your platform because down the lane it makes your life easier. However, most of the game engines use a different variety of languages, however, you have to make sure that the chosen game engine supports the language of your choice. 

Choose the controls 

As soon as you decide the platform for the game, you will know whether the game will be controlled by a touchscreen or keyboard. Whether there are any special features required in the game control? Do you have any unique music or video inputs?

Colors for the game

Colors play a vital role in setting the mood of the game. So, you have to decide on the colors you will choose for the game, the style of the game. Find out if you require any specific graphical elements like particle effects or shaders.

Find the game plan

Let’s get started with the business. Do you plan to create a free HTML5 game? Or are you planning to sell the game to be played on any major gaming consoles? Whatever plans you have for the game, you have to decide through this, because many game development tools require royalties from the sales. 

What is your budget?

Always stay with the business part of the game design and plan the budget for your game. Do you prefer a free and open-source game development engine or do you have the funds to pay the monthly fee? There are some game development tools that offer free packages with limited features, and feature-rich packages that come with a price tag. And this is the reason why you have to understand your game completely before selecting the game engine.

Be genuine about Game development experience

One of the things that is overlooked while choosing the game platform is the support and documentation that comes along with the game engine. If you have already worked on this particular game engine, then there is no issue. But, if you are new to the engine, you will be looking for live support, forums, and tutorials. You have to be sure whether you are comfortable with this support received from the development tool because you have to work on the entire project using this tool. 

Updates are vital

This is one of the major elements, which is ignored by many developers while choosing the game engine. Better look for it. Look for the history, changelog file, or if it is an open-source platform, refer to its commit log. 

If the game engine has not been updated for a year, or if they are not updating it frequently, then it will affect your game experience. Using software that isn’t updated will generate bugs in your game.

Selecting the best game engine for your game might be a hard task, because of the many options. All you have to do is take time and analyze what exactly is needed for your game and beyond. Make sure the game engine you choose satisfies all the criteria mentioned above. Consider this as a learning process and have fun in building an exciting game.