Mobile gaming is slowly but surely killing off handheld consoles

Mobile gaming has been replacing handheld gaming for a few years now, something that even Nintendo has been forced to acknowledge. While revenue from handheld games has remained more or less the same over the past year, revenue from both Android and iOS games has increased tremendously, and that’s without taking ad-based revenue into account. Once more companies start bringing their handheld-exclusive games over to smartphones and tablets, there won’t be any need to get a handheld console. 

There’s a lot to be excited about in mobile for this year’s E3, where gaming’s next big titles and hardware will be revealed to millions of avid fans. Hope you set aside some time to watch the big keynotes. More and more traditional gaming companies are moving their budgets and focus from handhelds to mobile. Nintendo’s mid-March partnership announcement with DeNA surprised the industry, but we’ve seen similar moves from key publishers like Ubisoft, Activision and Warner Bros. who are also extending their intellectual properties’ reach to smartphones and tablets. In addition, online multiplayer continues to be a growing part of the gaming ecosystem on consoles, PCs and handhelds. What started as a competitive gameplay experience in Quake and Duke Nukem 3D has evolved into complex, multi-layered RPG-like systems spanning hit franchises like Call of Duty, League of Legends and, of course, World of Warcraft. Online multiplayer brings with it a myriad of engaging — some would even say addictive — features that lead players to play games longer and with more ferocity.