Smartphones are now one of the most widely used platforms for gaming, with many blockbuster releases available for both Android and iOS devices. In fact, the player base has grown large enough for the esports industry to take notice as well, with many gamers now using smartphones and tablets for competitive gaming.
Additionally, mobile games are a huge source of revenue for game developers, as gamers are the most likely users to make purchases to enhance or extend their gaming experience.
However, making video games is not a task to be taken lightly. One needs to carefully strategize their game and keep many factors in mind - Who is their target audience? What platforms should one launch on? Should there be multiplayer? How does one secure the multiplayer against hackers and cheaters? This is why the services of a mobile game and Unity Development company are so coveted.
To aid these developers in their quest to make compelling and entertaining games, several technologies and tools have come up over the last few years.
Here are some of the very Top Game Development Tools for Mobiles:
- Unity - The Unity platform has been around for a while, but it is only in the last 5-6 years that it has really come into its stride. Unity is a cross-platform game development engine which is capable of delivering stunning visuals and can scale across different platforms so it is easy to develop a game for Android and quickly port it to the iOS platform. It also features an asset store with several premade assets like character models, environments etc. which developers can use in their projects. This enables any Unity Game Development Company to considerably cut down on development time and overall costs.
- Corona - Based on the Lua scripting language, Corona is an SDK which is ideally suited to creating 2D. Corona puts the OpenGL rendering engine to good use and is capable of creating innovative and fresh looking 2D games that would appeal to a wide section of gamers. It also features cross-platform development capabilities which make it a solid option for mobile game development.
- Cocos2D - An open-source framework, Cocos2D works with Objective-C and Swift and supports ioS and OS X natively. However, Cocos2D can be made to support Android game development as well via the Spritebuilder plugin. Like many others on this list, Cocos2D is rendering using the OpenGL engine. It is a great option for developers who prefer working on Objective-C and Swift are looking to create stunning 2D games.
- Unreal - The Unreal Engine is a major heavyweight in the gaming industry. Some true blockbusters have been made using the unreal engine on Android, iOS, Windows PC, Xbox and Playstation. Unreal is capable of lifelike visuals so long as the hardware powering the game is up to the task.
- Spritekit - Launched by Apple, Spritekit is a game engine specially designed to create 2D games. It’s a great option for developers who are looking to make easy-to-play 2D games for the iOS platform. Being supported by apple, developers can 100% be sure of the engine’s longevity and documentation.
- CocoonJS - CocoonJS is a platform that is completely compatible with Cordova and allows developers to create HTML5 games. One of these technology features is the plugin library which provides developers with a vast selection of pre-made plugins and the Cocoon Cloud, which can negate the need to install SDKs.
- Amazon Lumberyard - Supported by Amazon, Lumberyard is a powerful, free cross-platform game development platform based on the acclaimed CryEngine architecture. Having Amazon’s support allows Lumberyard to link seamlessly with AWS which allows for some truly excellent multiplayer experiences. Even on the comparatively weaker (hardware wise) mobile platform, Lumberyard is capable of producing some truly stunning visuals and huge gaming environments.
