Gamer awareness of Sega’s extremely affordable $7 ondeck mobile titles may require the help of wireless retailers as carriers bury gaming options in the ‘discovery’ model built-in to menu searches on mobile phones.
Despite challenges, signs of gamers catching on were revealed when Sega announced that its ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ game surpassed 8M downloads worldwide on the mobile platform. And more than 3M downloads were on the Verizon network alone in the US. The game continues to sell over 100,000 units a month just two years after launch. “This is proof that people really are buying and playing mobile games,” said Marketing Director, Carry Cowan in a press release. The release also announced the new appointment of Tammy Robinson as Sr. Director of Sales for SEGA Mobile. Ms. Robinson comes from Verizon Wireless where she led the carrier’s game content initiatives for the past 10 years. We are bound to see more and more activity in mobile gaming from Sega with this. For retailers, the incentive to introduce Sega’s mobile game titles to customers has its limits.
An incentive to educate customers about how to locate and download Sonic the Hedgehog should be part of the up-sell to higher-end phones, as well as just good customer service, which is more likely to end in a sale. Sega has yet to consider a commission for ondeck sales for the retailer, however their mobile revenue models are still evolving. Arguably that evolution will reflect the mobile device’s acceptance as a viable game platform. Game industry murmurs suggest an argument for nurturing this sprouting market from more than one angle.
Sega recently released a number of game titles for the mobile this summer alongside the much anticipated Ironman game. User ratings for the game have ranged from “Awesome!” to “Totally Awesome!” but the price speaks to a higher-end gaming market. Lower income or just economically squeezed families who may be lucky enough to own a game system, may find these $40+ games out of reach except for gift-giving. Further, out-priced markets extend beyond the West to many regions of the world where the mobile is the only game system financially accessible, which is where mobile gaming has its best bet to mushroom.
Regions like China, South America and other developing economies are already comfortable with the mobile unit as their main source for communication and entertainment. The magazine Gameinformer published an online article about mobile games that suggested there is a large market for affordable games residing on the mobile platform. But gamers on a budget are not the only ones to benefit from a focus on the handset as entertainer. Overwhelmed parents are also helped. My 12-year-old overcomes his impatience by playing my LG Voyager while hanging with me on errands. The screen resolution is beautiful on this TV-movie-ready LG, and game graphics perform very well with it.
Another boon for mobile gaming is Dolby Stereo’s very recent involvement in what they are calling ‘virtual surround sound’ for the handset. I had a chance to demo it at CTIA and it gave me goose bumps. (See the interview with Dolby by clicking on the tab ‘CTIA 2008 Interviews’ / scroll to Dolby) There are drawbacks, however for mobile gaming.
As outstanding as graphics have become for the handset, there are still limits to onboard memory, processing speed and battery capacity. So a game like Ironman for the mobile is not an option yet. However many game titles such as Sega’s well-known Sonic character have exceedingly better graphics than the old Gameboy games, which have historically had the widest game appeal in a “mobile game” environment. On the other hand, the biggest draw to mobile gaming may come still yet from another human condition: congestion.
Today commuting times require on average two hours a day and gasoline prices make public transport more and more attractive, creating a widening opportunity for mobile entertainment. Luckily, Sega is not a foreigner to transitioning their focus on new game platforms.
While you may know that they have been around a long time, it may still surprise you to know that Sega’s origins date back to 1940. They have continually redefined with technology, having adapted from mechanical, coin-operated slot machines to electronic arcades to in-home gaming consoles. Sega has transformed itself for new game delivery options in the past and their recent release of a suite of mobile games is to that end. Still, there is one caveat to this venue for game sales.
Making it easier for consumers to locate games from the handset is a great challenge, but it is still easier than working off deck on Sega’s mobile website. One has to locate one’s carrier, and then the handset model before it can be downloaded. This is cumbersome for the user and the website interface as well.
In conclusion, mobile gaming has as much potential as wireless will allow, and take it from a wireless insider when I say that potential is still proving endless.