Games on the go
Video game companies try to generate more money from mobile users.
Making money from consumers playing video games on their phones has been a challenge for game companies big and small.
Video game giant Electronic Arts, based in Maitland, only recently said it had discovered the secret to profiting on mobile, adapting a strategy it says worked on consoles.
That includes giving gamers new content that persuades players to return to thegame regularly on mobile versions of such EA hits as Madden NFL.
“What makes a great game is a deep engagement model,” EA Chief Financial Officer Blake Jorgensen said during an earnings call in early August. “That same mechanic can work well inside of a mobile game, and not just in sports.”
Capturing more revenue from mobile games could bolster Orlando’s video game developer community and its job base — which includes Electronic Arts and its 700 employees, along with two of the highestrated graduate programs for video game development in the U.S. — University of Florida’s FIEA program and Full Sail University.
A recent study that says consumers spend more time on mobile video games than on PC games shows the medium has promise. But Orlando developers say it’s a matter of getting players to pay up.
“When you swing for the fences in mobile, it’s risky and it’s tough,” said Ian Cummings, who heads a studio in Orlando and previously worked with the fantasy football website Fan Duel and Zynga. “You want to make that game that lets you make payroll.”
Cummings leads Third Time, a threeperson studio that launched a new game recently called Photo Finish Horse Racing. The horse racing simulator allows players to train, breed and ultimately race a virtual horse.
Although the game is free to download, players pay realmoney for virtual currency to upgrade their horse or stable. Cummings said Photo Finish has been a financial success, with revenue fromthe game expected to reach seven figures this year. The game has been downloaded more than 1.2 million times.
A study by video game analytics company Newzoo in April found that for the first time, revenue generated from mobile video games topped games on PCs in the $99.6 billion-industry.