Mobile gaming regularly generates more revenue than other gaming platforms, but it’s easy to forget that despite the accessibility of gaming on your phone or tablet, the industry is still relatively young – meaning there’s still plenty of room for the industry to grow. as technology becomes more powerful, games become more complex and the market continues to evolve.
We spoke to FunPlus chief business officer Chris Petrovic about the history of mobile gaming and the industry’s potential growth in the future.
Can you first introduce yourself and briefly explain what your role is within your company?
Hello PocketGamer! My name is Chris Petrovic and I am Chief Business Officer of mobile games developer and publisher FunPlus, where I am responsible for overseeing the company’s growth and expansion efforts from our global headquarters in Switzerland.
What do you think is the biggest change in the industry since you got into it?
I believe we are witnessing a shift in seismic proportions that I believe is of greater scale and impact than the transition our industry went through when we moved from Facebook to mobile as the primary platform for creating and distributing games.
The mobile gaming industry has so far gone through three phases: the first started in 1997 with the introduction of the game “Snake” by Nokia; the second begins about 10 years later with the launch of the App Store; and the third will start in 2012 with the emergence of game monetization as the main driver of revenue and growth for the industry.
Fast forward another 10 years to the present, and it’s clear that we’re dealing with some existential points merging simultaneously in our industry.
The first and perhaps most important is the reality that we operate in a very mature sector (some would say a declining trend, but I am an optimist on this point) which by definition offers fewer opportunities for growth and new entrants than in an emerging or growth sectors.
Fast forward another 10 years to the present, and it’s clear that we’re dealing with some existential points merging simultaneously in our industry.
Chris Petrovic
The second is the new playing field created by Apple and Google that materially impacts the status quo around effectively reaching customers, and the third is the unforeseen circumstances created by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. pandemic and the associated return to normalcy.
We are currently facing the biggest change in our industry I can think of, driven by the above factors.
The traditional ways of doing business are no longer as relevant and impactful, and as such we need to develop and perhaps even reinvent the rules for what it means to develop, launch and scale a commercially successful game, whether that be new game modes, new go-to-market strategies and/or new business models, for example I am excited about these challenges and how we as an industry will come together to face them!
Did you see the above change coming? If not, how did you adapt to it?
One of the benefits of being in and around gaming and interactive entertainment for as long as I have is that you can see a repeatable pattern of market changes that create both challenges and opportunities for industries to evolve and move forward.
While many of the changes mentioned above were somewhat obvious and predictable, as we experienced firsthand, this did not equate to successful evolution and transformation for all companies.
I have been fortunate enough to be part of three companies (Kabam, Zynga and now FunPlus) that have successfully evolved and transformed over the course of their respective 10+ year histories, taking wildly different routes to get there .
It goes without saying that the onset and consequent impact of the pandemic was an unforeseen change in our industry and we are all learning every day how to deal with and adapt to that impact.
For myself, I constantly remind my colleagues and team members that this unnatural event should be seen as just that and not as creating a new steady state for our industry.
When you think back to the past few years, what’s the biggest hurdle you’ve encountered?
I think we can agree that the effects of the pandemic have affected us all, not only as an industry, but also in our personal lives.
While our teams around the world have done a fantastic job of working remotely and securely, being unable to physically connect with colleagues, attend events or interact in person with our community has been a major challenge .
While we remain vigilant, we are now returning to normal and it has been so inspiring to see all our teams in different locations and offices excited to interact with each other personally, having shown such great resilience over this period.
Many app/game developers have moved away from in-app purchases in favor of subscription models. What do you think about the current state of monetization in the industry?
While both are very reliable business models, I think this is another example of how our industry is constantly evolving and adapting to the consumer.
It’s safe to say that FunPlus and most of the mobile gaming companies in the industry still believe in free experiences for everyone, but all models will continue to explore, always in favor of offering the best possible gaming experience for those players who decide to get started with our titles through optional purchases or subscriptions.
We have many examples in our industry showing that multiple business models can coexist successfully within a game and I expect this will continue to be the case in the future.
Where do you think the mobile game industry is headed in the coming years?
Currently, the mobile industry is more open and inclusive than ever, which is exciting not only because it allows us to reach emerging markets where we can deliver great gaming experiences, but also because now barriers to accessibility are fading as technology and hardware continue to grow. become more important. increasingly available and can support equal experiences for all.
The way I see this manifesting for our industry is a greater focus and investment in bringing cross-platform gaming experiences to market, allowing mobile gamers to experience games and IP alongside PC and console players.
In terms of content, I believe the gaming sector has the potential to launch the next great entertainment franchise of the future, on the same scale as Marvel or Star Wars.
Chris Petrovic
There is clearly an increased consumer demand for this reality of “anytime, anywhere any device”, and there are many games and platforms (Fortnite, Hearthstone, Minecraft, Roblox, etc.) that have shown that this is possible.
In terms of content, I believe the gaming sector has the potential to launch the next great entertainment franchise of the future, on the same scale as Marvel or Star Wars. That is certainly our ambition here at FunPlus – to be one of the best interactive entertainment companies in the world.
Technologies such as AR and location awareness are becoming more mainstream. Which technology, if any, excites you the most?
There is so much innovation that it will dramatically change not only the way we develop games, but also the way our players interact with it. For AR and location awareness in particular, I haven’t seen any category-defining examples of these technologies being both mainstream and repeatable outside of a single game.
That said, I’m hopeful we’ll see examples here sooner rather than later. I also want to continue learning about the future potential of Web3 technologies and business models, especially the extent to which they can be applied to more mainstream gaming experiences.
Edited by Lewis Rees
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