Predicting specific mobile games is more or less a fool’s errand. No one can say what any given developer will be working on. We merely start talking about it once we know for a fact what’s coming. Still, general predictions can still follow a certain logic, even if we can’t say for certain what the exact titles released might be. So in this way we’re taking a look at some possible mobile titles we could all be playing in another two years.
1. Super Mario Mobile
It’s no stretch to say that Super Mario Run has been one of the biggest mobile gaming events of the last few years, if not one of the biggest smartphone developments period. While the game wasn’t quite the sensation of Pokémon GO or the current craze, Fortnite, it opened the door to more Super Mario content (as well as other Nintendo adaptations) in the future. Almost immediately online debates sprung up over which Nintendo games might be remade for mobile devices, whether we’d get a classic Super Mario game, a mini-Mario Kart, etc. And this year we learned that Nintendo’s new president is indeed planning on more mobile games. Given this we’d strongly expect to be playing one or another Mario games on mobile in the coming years.
2. Minecraft AR Shooter
This is a bit of a more specific concept but it’s a game that’s beginning to seem inevitable. Minecraft and games like it have already been adapted into different styles and formats, and at the same time the concept of blended shooter/scavenger/construction games has been popularized by the “Battle Royale” format best demonstrated by Fortnite. Meanwhile, the AR shooting category is already gaining steam, playing with the idea of bringing characters into your physical space for you to fire at. Minecraft may be the perfect vehicle for this concept, as it’s a tame avenue for a shooter to take. We can just imagine blocky Minecraft zombies popping out from behind living room couches to be shot at and blasted into a bunch of blocky pieces.
3. Franchise Slots
Slot machines are more popular than a lot of people might guess in digital form, and though they’re most prominent at browser platforms, they’re increasingly migrating to mobile. Furthermore, these games are available in a dizzying variety, from your classic fruit machines, to games featuring original characters, to games based on franchises. It’s this last category we expect to gain popularity in the coming years. Slots, and casino gaming in general, are always becoming more popular and more prevalent, and they’re easier than other mobile games for franchises to latch onto. Already there are games that take advantage of DC character licensing for example. Expect to see more known entertainment franchises producing their own slot games.
4. Pokémon Classic Editions
Similar to Super Mario Run, the arrival of Pokémon GO on mobile platforms sparked all kinds of speculation. If this game could be done on mobile devices, any Pokémon game could. Already people have found ways to play old Pokémon games on mobile, but there’s still no hint of an actual app in the vein of the classic editions. Nevertheless, this seems like too good an idea for any involved company to pass up. The original Pokémon games were responsive for one of the biggest gaming sensations of all time, and their simple design is perfectly suited to smartphones. Granted it’s somewhat strange this hasn’t happened yet, but at some point the dam will break. We wouldn’t be surprised to be playing Pokémon Red and Blue on mobile in the near future.
5. Indie Hits Continued
We’d also expect some continuation. A lot can change in the app stores over a two-year period. But some of the more stable apps are proving to be indie gaming hits. Monument Valley came back with a popular sequel; Fireproof’s The Room has turned into a whole series; Alto’s Adventure has been one of the most popular games for well over a year now; and people still mention games like Limbo, Year Walk, and more among the best mobile games of all time. These hit indie titles just don’t seem to be going anywhere, so we’d expect continuations and new installments related to them to be prevalent even a few years from now.
