Game art is a complex mobile gaming business model, in which, on the one hand, a set of functions for making a profit, and on the other hand, the creative and creative process of artists and designers. Moreover, the game design industry in 25 years has changed from monster pixels to full-fledged 3D animation on a smartphone.
Although some gamers are now fans of retro games and regularly release new projects for them, generation Z dictates its rules, under which companies must adapt: more visuals, more content, and a minimum of advertising. For such gamers, business models have been developed associated with game art, which we will analyze in more detail.+
Popular Mobile Game Business Models
Popular models of mobile games are already familiar to all gamers, but not everyone knows that they are divided into different categories. The mobile gaming business has brought in many projects that, even free to play, managed to occupy the niche of the most profitable games in the AppStore or Play Market statistics. A productive mobile gaming business model can include 4 main categories of game monetization:
- Free-to-play
- In-App Purchases (IAP)
- Ads in apps
- Premium paid apps
Sometimes companies use one or two of this list; it all depends on the goals and capabilities. However, to get the maximum benefit, the IAP gaming business model is always used since it purchases beautiful anime skins, weapons, and new personalities for characters that are already familiar to all players. They can allocate funds in advance.
The visual side of the game should be on par with optimization and graphics. Very often, mobile games with cool graphics fade away due to the lack of proper art development. After all, art is not just a picture during menu loading but a category within any mobile game business model that requires investment and time management.
Game Art is a full spectrum: 3D modeling, character concept creation, interface design, etc., which should always be. Especially now, 3D technologies are popular, and most companies use the services of 3D art outsourcing studio and freelance artists, as it saves time and budget.
How to Make Free-to-Play Profitable
The “Free-to-play” business model is a way to distribute games, applications, and software. In mobile games, this model gives the user the right to install and directly play the game without making any money. Income, in turn, is generated through micropayments, which are paid access to some inaccessible (without a fee), in-game elements (most often decorative), which make the gameplay more interesting, deep, rich, and bright in comparison with the usual game.
The key advantage of this model is a large audience, which turns from free-to-play into a permanent source of profit. For example, let’s look at PUBG MOBILE whose developers use the game art industry correctly. The content in the game is regularly updated, and new skins for weapons, characters, or vehicles are added, for which players spend a lot of currency.
At a minimum, all top apps (including PUBG) are preparing a themed event for the Chinese New Year since it is the Asian region that loves to shop in games, and developers are 100% interested in this. For the gaming industry, this is one of the clear indicators of how much players like to modify their gameplay and are willing to spend real money on it.
Final Thoughts on Mobile Gaming Business
Mobile apps and mobile games business are ubiquitous today. The average user has at least 40 apps installed on their phone. And in the Apple Store and Google Play, 1.96 million and 2.87 million applications are available, respectively.
Developers actively bring their applications to the market and expect to make good money. But a clear and well-thought-out strategy for monetization is required for the application to start making a profit.
Using mobile game business models in the wrong and excessive way can lead to the loss of money and reputation among mobile gamers. Therefore, starting a mobile game company, one should never forget about the visual part of the game. Art on advertising banners or screenshots for demonstration will bring the first 1000 downloads to any project.