GDC Mobile 2006: Is it the mobile gaming industry’s time to shine?

Ever dreamed of playing your favorite mobile-console games on your cellphone?  If so your dreams may just start coming true really soon.

Last December, Electronic Arts, the world’s biggest game publisher, purchased wireless game maker and former competitor Jamdat (famous for its Snake game) for a cool $680 million, and by doing so threw down the gauntlet to its competitors.

The move and its possible repercussions are hot topics at the currently ongoing GDC Mobile 2006, a two-day mobile-game-centered event being held this week in San Jose, California in conjunction with the ongoing Game Developers Conference.  (Mitch Lasky, Senior Vice President of EA Mobile, discussed this topic in his keynote address yesterday.)  It’s being taken as a clear indication that the mobile gaming industry, which has up to this point been slow to respond to the opportunities afforded by both the rapid spread of the cellphone as well as modern-day cellphones’ vast range of capabilities, is bound to be the next hot growth sector (at least if EA and other such companies have their druthers).  Mobile gaming’s already an $2-billion business, but it stands to grow much larger than that.

Large companies like EA, with their deep pockets and marketing clout, are, as is the case in other markets, best positioned to take the lead in this one.  Now everyone else is watching and waiting to see what might be next.

We’re certain that EA’s preemptive move and other such significant developments will certainly jump-start the industry.  Other large companies have doubtlessly taken notice of it and will be beginning to rev up their engines, so to speak – if they haven’t done so already, that is.  From this point on we’re sure that we’re going to be seeing quite a bit more action in the sector – more titles released (and far more complex games at that), and more mergers and acquisitions taking place.  

All of this will hopefully result in more joy for us consumers.  We can’t wait to see just what’s in store for us.
Ever dreamed of playing your favorite mobile-console games on your cellphone?  If so your dreams may just start coming true really soon.

Last December, Electronic Arts, the world’s biggest game publisher, purchased wireless game maker and former competitor Jamdat (famous for its Snake game) for a cool $680 million, and by doing so threw down the gauntlet to its competitors.

The move and its possible repercussions are hot topics at the currently ongoing GDC Mobile 2006, a two-day mobile-game-centered event being held this week in San Jose, California in conjunction with the ongoing Game Developers Conference.  (Mitch Lasky, Senior Vice President of EA Mobile, discussed this topic in his keynote address yesterday.)  It’s being taken as a clear indication that the mobile gaming industry, which has up to this point been slow to respond to the opportunities afforded by both the rapid spread of the cellphone as well as modern-day cellphones’ vast range of capabilities, is bound to be the next hot growth sector (at least if EA and other such companies have their druthers).  Mobile gaming’s already an $2-billion business, but it stands to grow much larger than that.

Large companies like EA, with their deep pockets and marketing clout, are, as is the case in other markets, best positioned to take the lead in this one.  Now everyone else is watching and waiting to see what might be next.

We’re certain that EA’s preemptive move and other such significant developments will certainly jump-start the industry.  Other large companies have doubtlessly taken notice of it and will be beginning to rev up their engines, so to speak – if they haven’t done so already, that is.  From this point on we’re sure that we’re going to be seeing quite a bit more action in the sector – more titles released (and far more complex games at that), and more mergers and acquisitions taking place.  

All of this will hopefully result in more joy for us consumers.  We can’t wait to see just what’s in store for us.