Mario Run flaming out in the mobile space should be looked at as a pretty harsh indictment of the whole mobile gaming landscape. The premier gaming franchise in the world, in a pretty well made game, with a fairly non-exploitative monetization scheme couldn't make it. All the big publishers salivate looking at the number of possible players and profits that mobile provides but if your aim is to win out via quality gaming the market just isn't there. Mobile players will not pay for your game if it is priced such that you don't need predatory monetization.
You hear a lot about "gatekeeping" and "elitism" whenever mobile gaming and traditional gaming are discussed and compared but I'll be honest I don't get why we can't just call it like we see it. The mobile gaming landscape is not a place for quality and I kind of get where some of the resentment from traditional gaming comes from when those spaces are judged against the profits of mobile gaming. Like asking why your local theatre isn't making as much money as the local casino, its just two totally different goals and mindsets and if all you care about is the bottom line then sure I guess the casino is the way to go, but lets not pretend there's capital-A Art in those games the way there is on consoles or PCs.
> if all you care about is the bottom line then sure I guess the casino is the way to go, but lets not pretend there's capital-A Art in those games the way there is on consoles or PCs.
This is why the games I play on my iPhone and iPad come exclusively from Apple Arcade. There really is some great art there: Don't Starve, Stitch, Cozy Grove, Alto's Odyssey, Oregon Trail, and more.
The difference is Apple Arcade absolutely forbids the in-game microtransaction mess. You can see where it's been removed in games like Star Trek: Legends or Jetpack Joyride. What's really interesting is these are really good games in their own right once you get to play the game to earn the rewards and progress. The only thing standing in their way is the microtransaction crap, which is sad.
I played a lot of Mario Run at the beginning but ultimately stopped because it was absolutely infuriating that it required a network connection. This requirement made the game completely useless as a way to spend time on a subway or airplane trip.
As far as I could tell the only features that needed the network connection were high-score comparisons and infrequent content updates. So what's the big deal if I don't have a live connection? Just let me play without the high score or the latest content!
> The mobile gaming landscape is not a place for quality
I’d rephrase that as the mobile gaming landscape is not a place for traditional monetization models. Genshin Impact is primarily a mobile game and although the anime aesthetic may not be for everyone it is easily a AAA quality open world game that has been a resounding financial success, making over $3.6B in just two years. However, it uses the gacha monetization model to fund its live service development instead of the traditional “buy the main game once and then pay for any expansions you want” model.
> What? Whoever is discussing that is still living in ~2010.
No, they're just living in the west.
It doesn't matter if mobile is the biggest segment in the industry of videogames, plenty people regard it as an inferior product. Even some parties treat the Steam Deck as inferior because it can't attain the same power as pc/ps5/xbox
I think the elitism question is related to mobile gaming being considered casual while there's a gender disparity. So if you say mobile gaming is bad, which it is, you're insulting female gamers. (From the perspective of certain bloggers)
You hear a lot about "gatekeeping" and "elitism" whenever mobile gaming and traditional gaming are discussed and compared but I'll be honest I don't get why we can't just call it like we see it. The mobile gaming landscape is not a place for quality and I kind of get where some of the resentment from traditional gaming comes from when those spaces are judged against the profits of mobile gaming. Like asking why your local theatre isn't making as much money as the local casino, its just two totally different goals and mindsets and if all you care about is the bottom line then sure I guess the casino is the way to go, but lets not pretend there's capital-A Art in those games the way there is on consoles or PCs.