Report: 81% of mobile developers working on new titles
Survey also found that the majority of developers are testing prototypes, only 9% of games are at the soft launch stage
A new report by mobile game company Sandsoft says that 81% of mobile developers are working on a new title, while 83% have raised capital to develop, launch, or market a game.
The Publisher Perception Report, made in partnership with Atomik Research, surveyed 454 developers across the USA, Spain, and France between June 4 and June 10, 2024.
The majority of developers (47%) are testing a prototype, while 9% are at the soft launch stage. Hybrid-casual is the most popular genre in development (43%) followed by casual (34%).
Developers are also concerned about layoffs. Nearly half of those surveyed (49%) anticipate further layoffs, with the majority being "concerned for their jobs and see unionisation as a positive."
90% of respondents expressed the importance of AAA quality games being available on mobile devices, despite games such as Resident Evil 7 on iOS reportedly only gathering an estimated 2,000 paying customers.
The use of AI during development was also a major topic of the report. 84% of developers said they used AI, with 38% noting that it's a core component of development.
The report also found that the two most common sources of funding for mobile development was strategic investment (31%) and directly from a publisher (27%).
34% of those surveyed said publishers "provide a valuable service", but just over a quarter felt that they "take more than they give due to concerns about unfavourable deal terms and revenue share, or loss of creative control."
Additionally, developers expressed they were 50% more likely to pursue publishing deals with specific regions, with Latin America seen as the most popular emerging market.