If you’re a gamer that was still not convinced that the mobile world was taking over, the latest transaction made by Activision will probably make you think otherwise. Indeed, Activision Blizzard wasn’t necessarily associated with the cellphones world, but it seems that the potential of that market and the need to remain competitive might’ve pushed them into making such a move.
King Digital is the creator of the very popular game Candy Crush and has represented a major force in the mobile market and also when it comes to the social network Facebook. $5.9 billion is what it took for the company to make the move,
Will It Change The Mobile Market Landscape?
There’s no doubt that such a big name could have an impact on the mobile games industry, and also how people perceive it. Certain gamers might’ve considered the mobile world as secondary as they play their favorite titles on console and PC with the latest and most demanding graphics, but this move by perhaps one of their top games creators will probably make them change their minds. Sometimes, all it takes is a big company coming over from a nearby space to make a strong impact. While some companies have made a name for themselves by concentrating on iOS and Android, Activision Blizzard has always been about titles like Call of Duty and Starcraft, and it will be interesting to see how that affects the mobile world.
The philosophy on console has often been to create the biggest games and putting a lot of money on important releases for big franchises, so it will be interesting to see if that same philosophy will be applied by a company like this to the mobile world. Are we about to see our mobile games cost a lot more?
This could be worth considering, since the Activision Blizzard is often associated with big titles that stand the test of time. This time around, maybe the games will be smaller so that they don’t alienate the already established audience, but they will most likely have to put forward some more complex offerings to please their loyal fanbase that will be looking to transfer over to mobile. All it will take is some ads around their PC and console products, or maybe some second-screen types of games to make some fans take a look at what’s new. Certainly, a game like Hearthstone already sets the tone right for what’s to come for players. Activision Blizzard isn’t necessarily stepping into unknown territory and perhaps this has been in the making for quite some time. We could see some nice surprises in the upcoming years and perhaps the next purchase you look forward to will be right in your pocket. It’s sometimes surprising how a mobile game can keep ourselves busy and Candy Crush has surprised plenty of people on just how addictive it can be.
Activision Blizzard doesn’t necessarily have to do things differently to be successful in this new area. Certainly, they can include their solid storytelling and some of their already existing characters and factions to make some fans feel right at home and make them play other games while they’re on the go. In the case of former mobile successes like Plants vs Zombies and Candy Crush, it was some smaller companies rising to the top, but this time around we will have to see if the big company can pull off some great games that will gain as much popularity. Does mobile games need to be discovered so that they become a trend, or can they be marketed and pushed forward by big game developers like on PC and console? For the other companies looking to make the jump, Activision Blizzard will become an important company to watch.
Finally, it will still be interesting to see how people judge Activision Blizzard on its performances when it comes to smaller mobile games. The giant company is usually criticized pretty heavily for each and every one of its move, and obviously this new direction will be an easy target for some people around the web. Hopefully, everyone can give feedback even to the biggest of companies so that their games get better.
