A recent report from Xconomy indicates that while the economy is circling ever closer to the drain, casual gaming is enjoying unprecendented success. Big Fish Games, a Seattle-based studio, enjoyed unprecedented revenue in October while the rest of the economy tanked, and with mobile computing on the rise, the spaces available for casual gaming to flex ts newly-found muscles are clearly on the rise. in fact, with more people unemployed and looking for cheap ways to fill their time, casual gaming may actually benefit from a downturn.
And that's good news for Canadian developers. Vancouver-based Nexon has Maple Story, one of the most popular MMOs in the world, earning a fortune in the Asian market, and Klei Entertainment not only scored a huge hit with N+ on the Xbox Live Arcade but is also working on Sugar Rush, their first original property (which is, interestingly enough, in closed beta with Nexon.)
Will casual games continue to succeed while other businesses fail? It stand to reason that affordable games serve not only as a distraction during tough times but also as a replacement for the big ticket items that are now simply out of reach for many consumers.
Big Fish Games is a global leader and innovator in the online games industry, producing and delivering the world's best games and game experiences.... [more]
They may be recession proof, but the trend is still that the people who develop casual games (i.e. the individuals who design and code them) will make less and less for doing so. People who actually own the networks through which games are sold (e.g. Apple via the iPhone) will be the ones who make the money.
There are so many game developers willing to make games for less and less direct compensation, and distribution becomes easier every day, so it seems inevitable that this will be the trend.
