- 87% of multiplayer gamers played cross platform in 2022
- Marmalade Game Studio uses cross platform gaming to bring people together
- Mobile is the cross-generational gaming platform, with 77% of GenZ – 34% of Baby Boomers
- Big titles on console are crossing to mobile, including Fortnite, Minecraft and Grand Theft Auto
- In 2022, mobile game revenue hit $92.2 billion, with console games reaching $51.8
The growing demand for cross-platform multiplayer games is hard to ignore. Friends and family members want to play together online whether they game on their phone, PlayStation, Xbox, PC or Nintendo Switch. Since 2018* the market for quality cross-platform multiplayer games has exploded. In the last year alone, 87% of multiplayer gamers played cross platform.
Of all the trends in gaming, this is probably the least surprising. After all, whether it’s board games, tabletop RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons, or sharing a console and playing with siblings, people grow up experiencing games together.
Bringing People Together
At Marmalade Game Studio, we create digital versions of classic board games. Our titles include Monopoly, The Game of Life 2, Cluedo (Clue), Battleship and more. We’re experts in taking your childhood favourites and putting them on the screen in beautiful, fully animated 3D worlds.
The Marmalade aim is to recreate the magic of gathering around a board with your friends and family, even if you can’t be in the same place at the same time. To achieve this, we must break down the distance barrier and bring as many friends and family members together as possible, which means bridging platforms.
Mobile First
When it comes to gaming platforms, mobile phones are dominating the landscape. In a breakdown of gamers by generation and platform, mobile games are played by:
- 77% of Gen Z
- 73% of Millennials
- 54% of Gen X
- 34% of Baby Boomers
Access to mobile is what makes the platform so successful. It’s this access that makes Marmalade a mobile-first studio and publisher. Mobile spans the generations and is always at hand. But console is still a vital platform, because 44% of cross platform gamers play on mobile AND console, and many prefer to play across console and PC.
Console First
As popular as the mobile platform is, and as fast as it’s growing, big titles are still being released on console first. Many games made for console simply won’t translate to mobile. The graphics may be too demanding, the controls may be too complex to replicate with swipe and tap, and they may be written for longer sit-down gaming sessions.
However, we’ve seen a surge in popular titles releasing cross-platform play modes for mobile, including:
- Fortnite
- Resident Evil – Dead by Daylight
- Minecraft
- Call of Duty
- ARK: Survival Evolved
- Grand Theft Auto
Plus lockdown classics like Among Us.
Gamers Decide
As always, you decide, and nothing proves a trend better than sales. In 2022, mobile game revenue hit $92.2 billion, with console games reaching $51.8 and PC games landing at $38.2. And the reason is simple: everyone carries a phone.
Console gaming isn’t going away. But it’s clear that mobile gaming is here to stay and the big titles are embracing the revenue streams it brings.
Our Cross-Platform Magic
The benefit of Marmalade games being mobile first, is that they run as smoothly on your phone, as they do on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox or PC. The only difference is that bigger screens reveal more of the amazing 3D graphics and animations hidden in each game. With 56% of gamers expecting graphics to be better on console vs mobile, that should come as a pleasant surprise!
One thing’s for certain: since 2018 more games have become more widely available, allowing families and friends to share gaming experiences around the world. And that is the magic we at Marmalade live for.
*In 2018 PlayStation and Xbox finally allowed cross-platform gaming between the two consoles, ending a years-long feud, and years of frustration among gamers.
