Chapter 14
Future Trends and Opportunities for iOS Gaming
In This Chapter
- Surveying upcoming trends for the iOS
- Understanding the future of iOS games in China: overview and advice from Yodo’s Henry Fong
In 2012 it became increasingly clear that the future of gaming platforms would be dominated in great part by tablets, a category ovewhelmingly owned by the iPad. According to a Business Insider forecast from February 2012, by the time we reach 2015, tablet unit sales will reach nearly 500 million, while sales will grow at an approximately 50 percent compound annual growth rate. The PC market is too large to go away any time soon. But the iPad and its smaller iPhone cousin will increasingly influence the direction of game development. It’s likely we soon won’t even think of “Facebook games” or “web games” as separate categories, because those games will be made to work on and with the iPad’s web browser and iOS’s Facebook connectivity. For this reason, it’s especially important to consider the future of games on iOS—even if you don’t develop for that platform.
