The ubiquity of mobile games is now turning everyone into a gamer— and that's exactly why the mobile gaming industry has successfully taken over both the PC and console gaming sectors. In 2022, the mobile gaming revenue in the United States marked a record $41.7 billion. Speaking of the stats, this gaming revolution has truly transformed the gaming landscape of the U.S.

Considering the changing atmosphere of the American gaming industry, standing as the highest revenue generator of 2022, game commercialization is the new futuristic concept that awaits us. Meanwhile, another significant contributor to mobile gaming's popularity is its easy accessibility. And that opens the doors to the enormous scope that top mobile game companies have long waited for.

Despite other types of development, game development offers hints of creativity, innovation and a burst of imaginative ideas. Undeniably, you always have the option to reach out to the top mobile game development companies on your own. Or you can choose a B2B platform to find the top mobile gaming companies for your development project. 

On the other hand, if you've got some experience on your hands in the development field or want to learn more about game development, you've landed at the right place! This article covers an in-depth overview of game development, where you can find the best mobile game developers, and much more.

Key Takeaway

• Mobile game development involves planning, developing and executing a game app.
• An efficient mobile game offers various benefits, such as improving mental health, increasing engagement and providing income generation solutions. 
• Game development mainly comprises 7 stages. 
• Unity 3D, Unreal and Flutter are the top gaming engines. 
• You can find top mobile game development companies on service providing platforms, social media and freelance websites

Mobile Game Development - An Overview

Mobile game development is the process of turning an idea into a playable reality designed specifically for mobile platforms. A mobile game app development company employs certain mobile development methodologies to create an immersive gaming app. The game development process generally involves multiple stages, such as planning, production, testing and project execution.  

The game development company you connect with must have the competencies to deliver custom mobile game development services tailored to meet your target audience’s requirements. For a general idea, the main traits to be integrated into a full-fledged mobile game comprises an engaging storyline, advanced interactive features and immersive gameplay. 

Significance of Game Development

The gaming industry is reporting and recording massive revenues, which simply states why game development is essential in today’s digital world. Apart from the gains, let's focus on the user perspective and why game development is facing a definite rise. Not to forget the main question: what the future holds for the biggest mobile game companies? 

User Engagement

Every business and brand puts its best foot forward to create a competitive edge and stand out from the crowd, ensuring their game gets the highest downloads. But how do you push through the flock and prove your identity? The answer’s simple; make your game engaging and enticing. 

What makes a game so attractive is its capability to keep gamers and users engaged for hours while attracting a wider audience instead of targeting a particular age group.

Game Rewards and Earning

Gaming as a leisure activity is a pre-existing concept. Gamers not only enjoy gaming entertainment but can also generate a decent cash flow from gaming that helps them manage a living. That's where the idea of Play-to-Earn (P2E) gaming comes in. In a nutshell, it's a concept where you can earn money through the game reward system.

Aids Users' Mental Health

Yes, the industry generating impressive global revenue is real, along with it opening opportunities for earning revenue. But gaming boils down to the gamers, the ones that decide the success of a game developed by a game app development company. Another significance of mobile gaming is its ability to help users with their mental health, supporting the ability to make formidable decisions and improving memory.

Game Development Stages

Thousands of apps and games are released daily, but not all of them can become as popular as Clash of Clans (CoC) or Player Unknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG). 

A winning game app has a well-thought-out concept, a practical approach to making money, and exciting yet unique gameplay. To map that out further, here is a detailed insight into game development that top mobile game companies follow:

Game Concept

Any successful mobile game must begin with an original concept. No groundbreaking originality is required. You can take inspiration from your surroundings and develop it into something truly outstanding.

This idea can be an innovation of your brain's creativity or inspired by your favorite fantasy series you recently read. 

You must always communicate your game concept with the top mobile game developers selected and responsible for developing your mobile gaming project. And let them play their magic and create something one-of-a-kind. 

Top Mobile Game Developers

A unique game storyline is pivotal in the game app development process. Through this, you get to communicate your game's purpose to users. Not only this, it informs them of a story in the beginning that describes the stages present in your game app. 

The main idea is crucial for gaming app developers as it allows them to create a narrative in a way that will resonate with their intended audience, ultimately leading to success. After all, the plot draws an audience in and makes them believe that what they see on screen isn't a work of fiction, and that's what you want to accomplish.

Develop a Game Plan

After you have a unique storyline that serves as a blueprint for your game app, move on to sketching out a game plan. Through a game plan, top mobile gaming companies can efficiently execute your creative ideas effectively. Here's what a standard game plan comprises:

• Graphics 
• Marketing 
• Gameplay
• Game technicalities that relate to game development 

The best thing to ensure the success of your gaming project, we recommend reaching out to a mobile game app development company. They can help you with the development part, taking the agile procedure off your shoulders.

Have a Game Development Budget

To select an anticipated budget for game development that you’ll be putting forward to top mobile gaming companies, there are certain factors that you need to consider. These factors assist in making your game a market-ready product that promises a good Return on Investment (ROI).

Here's a list of factors that you should consider when connecting with a game development company : 

• Mobile OS (Operating System)
• Pre-development cost
• Post-development Cost 

Select the Game Development Platform

About 71% of smartphone users are on Android, while the number of iOS users is enormous. Thus, the answer to this question will depend on your game app development budget and the service charges of gaming app developers.

You can present your game to a smaller audience if you want to build for only one platform. However, cross-platform development is the way forward when you are looking to expand your app's audience. As a result, it will stretch your game development budget.

Choose a Mobile Game Engine

The game engine is essential for your gaming app's back end and for making your project a reality. You can choose from various mobile gaming engines and find the best one that fits your requirements. You can choose Unity 3D engine to power 3D games or Cry Engine to provide a drag-and-drop interface.

Undeniably, a wide variety of back-end languages are available for game development, including C#, C++, Node.js, Laravel, and Python. At this point, the gaming app developers think about the best back-end technology for your app's infrastructure. Or, ask about the tech stack from the game app development company you shortlisted for your project.

Create a Game Prototype

Considering a prototype's benefits, it's vital for a game development company to have it developed in prior stages. The prototype has to look and feel like the actual games (keep an eye out for the most critical segments). It should also include all the core gameplay elements. 

Prototyping might be time-consuming, but the biggest mobile game companies consider it necessary for finding game design flaws.

Players may display various behaviors in games where the controls aren't intuitive, and completing specific objectives might be challenging. Consequently, mobile game development company can resolve multiple problems at this point.

Game Development

Once the prototype developed by a game app development company gets a green signal from the client, it moves to the main part, i.e., game development. Now, even the smallest tasks require great attention to detail. In this phase, the top mobile game developers build something with a gist of originality and uniqueness. 

Developing the best game app on the back end necessitates carefully considering every detail, from features and functionalities to technologies, experiences to navigation and beyond.

Game Testing and Debugging

Your video game must go through the Quality Assurance (QA) testing stage before launching. After all, the game will stand as a representation of your mobile game app development company and it’ll have a space in the portfolio of the biggest mobile game companies. Thus, it must perform flawlessly before release. 

All top mobile game development companies evaluate mobile games by presenting and playing the beta version on different mobile devices. As a result, numerous issues and problems within the game are highlighted, giving the best mobile game developers a chance to solve them. Ultimately leading to building the best version of your game.

Plan Out a Monetization Strategy

Now that you have your mobile game developed by a mobile game development company, other than providing users with a unique experience, your main purpose is to generate income. So, make sure that you have a complete strategy that helps you meet your revenue targets.

Top Mobile Game Development Technologies

After reading about mobile game development and the steps a game app development company takes to build a successful game app. Let's now move on to the game development technologies used for game app development. 

Unreal Engine 

Unreal Engine is another popular all-in-one gaming engine that competes with Unity 3D. Epic Games have been developed by this tool, and it's known as one of the best development tools for creating some of the most iconic games like Call of Duty (COD).

In contrast to the available technologies in the development community, Unreal lets developers show real-life environments and support immersive gameplay for users. Another important feature of Unreal is Photorealism, which is the main reason for its popularity. 

Unity 3D

Referring to the popularity of Unity, it needs no introduction in front of some of the biggest mobile game companies due to its heavy usage. Plus, its popularity is fully justified, thanks to its features. 

For example, it supports cross-platform integration and has a built-in asset store. The top mobile game developers can find multiple ready-to-use assets to speed up the development process. 

Flutter

Flutter is a cross-platform development technology that ideally gets used for mobile application development. Top mobile game companies use it to natively compile the existing codebase and then deploy an app for different apps, such as iOS, Android, etc.

Where Can I Find Mobile Game Development Services?

Finding a mobile game app development company can be challenging. However, there are a few places where you can find the best mobile game developers.

B2B Service Providing Platform 

Through a B2B service providing platform, such as Distinguished. You can come across several top mobile game development companies with clientele that speak of agencies' experiences.

Freelance Platforms

There are several freelance platforms that make it easier to connect with the best mobile game developers who promise to deliver a project that meets your expectations. 

You can filter your search, browse through gaming app developers related to your game type development only and select the best ones for your project. 

Social Media 

Social media can be your best friend here, especially when you're good at using it. Hashtags, business accounts and a simple search related to development can help you get in touch with top mobile game companies that can help you with your development project.

FAQs

How Long Does It Take To Build an App?

A basic game version can take up to 2 months, while a standard game app can take 3 to 3.5 months. Whereas, a complex game app can take a mobile game development company 5-6 months to complete. This time is distributed for completing the following stages:

• Planning
• Developing
• Testing 
• Game launch

How Much Does It Cost to Maintain an App?

The initial cost to maintain an app from a game development company is estimated to be between $250 and $500 per month but this can go way above this as well. As an estimate, software maintenance costs 20% of the total development cost.

What Is the Process of Making a Mobile Game?

There are typically 7 distinct phases involved in making a video game. The phases mainly include:

• Game design
• Pre-production 
• Production 
• Testing
• Pre-launch
• Launch
• Post-production 

Final Note

Converting your game concept into a playable reality is a great idea. And learning everything about development is only a google search away. On the other hand, finding a mobile game development company to do it for you is a hard nut to crack.

But we've got a solution! At Distinguished, we have a list of top mobile gaming companies that can transform your idea into an exciting mobile game.

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