“Almost overnight we went from an extremely fragmented market to one where every

• “I think when Activision Blizzard paid $5.9bn to buy King in 2015, the power of mobile was pretty obvious”
• “AI generally and GenAI specifically is clearly a transformative technology that will impact all forms of game development in terms of both the creative process and operational efficiency”

This week, we revealed PocketGamer.biz’s new look! We’ve taken this as an opportunity to look back on mobile games industry’s history and share some veterans’ stories.

We caught up with former Mobile Entertainment editor, Stuart O’Brien [pictured left], and executive editor, Tim Green [right], to talk about the early days of mobile gaming, how the App Store ushered in big changes and the promising future of the mobile market.

PocketGamer.biz: We’re celebrating the launch of our new site and wanted to take a look back at how this whole thing got started. You both worked on Mobile Entertainment magazine back in the 2000s. What state was mobile in then? 

Stuart O’Brien: I started off writing about mobile media and then segued into mobile games for a couple of Informa newsletters in 2002-ish: Mobile Media and Mobile Games Analyst, initially packing a Nokia 3310 but quickly getting ‘hands-on’ with all the amazing tech that was coming out of the Espoo campus at the time: 6600, 7700 and, of course, the magnificently unhinged N-Gage.

Let’s not forget the Moto Razr and Sony Ericsson Xperia. And did I mention the Tapwave Zodiac – not really a phone, but a brave effort – and T-Mobile Sidekick?

Tim Green: I was exec editor of Mobile Entertainment – or ME, whatever that means. My route in was that I had written a few analyst reports about ‘the future of gaming’ and one direction I explored was mobile gaming.

Back then – early 2000s – this comprised appalling WAP games and even an SMS version of FIFA – though I don’t think it was ever made. We launched ME and 2005 and I think I had a Nokia 3250.

What was game distribution like before Apple’s App Store? How big a deal was it when that rolled in? 

Stuart O’Brien: Back then, it was extremely early days for technology, the games and the ecosystem, but there were so many companies pushing the boundaries of what was possible that we were never short of stuff to write about.

The pre-iPhone period, which was driven by WAP and Java/Brew virtual machine software, plus higher-end native content running on operating systems like Symbian, was mostly characterised by games studios and publishers striking deals with individual mobile networks and ringtone providers for distribution on their ‘content portals.’

You would then see them spending huge amounts of time and money porting their games to the myriad available devices, which sounds insane compared to the homogenised market we have today.

The iPhone and its App Store changed everything in that respect. Almost overnight, we went from an extremely fragmented market to one where everyone was aiming for a single device and marketplace, which created a whole bunch of different opportunities and challenges, even with Android arriving soon afterwards.

Tim Green: As the games got better, distribution was always the problem. No one could properly combine the UX, payment system, download capability and marketing. So, there were all these failed attempts.

A French firm called In-Fusio created a package called Les Games, where you had to buy a specific handset on a specific tariff with a specific MNO. But if you did all that, you would get a decent gaming experience. There was such a desire for gaming that In-Fusio actually did pretty well.

There was a similar service called Preminet by Nokia, and later, this weird Estonian service called GetJar. In the US, Verizon had something called Get It Now, which did quite well. But they all ultimately failed because they asked the consumer to do too much.

Apple grabbed all the good ideas, making the download and payment process painless. It all looks so obvious now, but it wasn’t at the time.

What other big key moments in mobile were there? Are there any breakout stories you remember?

Stuart O’Brien: One time, we printed two entirely different ‘show editions’ of Mobile Entertainment magazine for the huge 3GSM – now Mobile Work Congress – event. One was full of regular advertising and another essentially an advertising ‘takeover’ by one of the big content portals. That’s how much VC money was floating around in the mid-2000s.

That also meant the sector was an acquisition merry-go-round, with – initially – the bigger mobile games studios rolling up some of the smaller – and sometimes rival – outfits and then the bigger players from the console/PC space cherry-picking the leading pack, having dipped their toes in mobile via the licensing of triple-A IPs.

It was always a privilege to be part of product reveals for devices like the N-Gage, and the kind of access companies like Nokia and Qualcomm gave journalists to their content teams at the highest level was more or less unprecedented in B2B tech media – it was a great time writing about the biz. 

Tim Green: This is not games-related, but I remember when 3 did a deal with Skype, and everyone was dumbfounded. Voice revenue was really lucrative back then, and here was 3 basically giving its customers voice for free.

But it was the first sign that ‘cellular’ was turning into mobile computing. That was what underpinned Apple’s big breakthrough. Another big moment was Google launching Android. It signalled the end of the era of the handset maker. All those powerful companies like Nokia and Sony Ericsson either disappeared or became box shifters for Google.

Was there a moment where you really felt like mobile had landed, when it became the world’s number one source for gaming?

Stuart O’Brien: Maybe it’s because I’ve been around mobile games professionally for such a long time, but I always feel like mobile is an absolute core part of the games industry platform mix.

I also spent a lot of time post-Mobile Entertainment helping build websites where ‘mobile first’ was always the mantra – it’s like a default setting for me!

Tim Green: There were a lot of big moments for mobile gaming that are easy to forget now. Some of the hits were huge – Words With Friends, Draw Something, Flappy Bird, Farmville. They were properly mainstream, and they drew in players who just weren’t interested in Assassin’s Creed.

I think when Activision Blizzard paid $5.9bn to buy King in 2015, the power of mobile was pretty obvious. Anyone who talks now about the ‘stigma’ of mobile is just being a snob, really. 

The mobile gaming landscape has changed significantly over the years with new technology and platforms. What new, exciting technological possibilities do you see for the future of mobile gaming? 

Stuart O’Brien: In terms of route to market, it’s – in theory! – so much easier to create and publish a mobile game in 2024 compared to 2004. But studios are also wrestling with new and different challenges, whether that’s the commercial realities of the app stores, the problem of discovery and user acquisition in a sea of apps, or the tools they rely on suddenly changing terms.

I tend to think of things in terms of creativity, though, perhaps naively: the smartest developers and the best games will always find their audience, albeit with a bit of luck required along the way.

AI, generally, and GenAI specifically, is clearly a transformative technology that will impact all forms of game development in terms of both the creative process and operational efficiency.

Plus, there’s huge uncertainty about how AI will impact intellectual property ownership and, fundamentally, people’s jobs.

The Hollywood writers’ strike saw these concerns, so it would be great to see stakeholders in games and mobile games collaborate on using AI to empower creators and create new opportunities.

Tim Green: Gonna be a bit contrary here. I’m not sure tech has made that much difference. Yes, games are faster and smoother and more detailed. But mobile is all about gameplay.

You don’t need much processing power to make Wordle and see it conquer the planet in a few weeks. I am bearish on VR and AR. VR is just for geeks who don’t mind a sweaty head. It will never be mainstream. And AR can be amazing, but only very infrequently. Pokemon was incredible.

But where are all the other AR games? AI might help developers, but I’m not sure how it will change gameplay. But then I could be made to look very stupid saying that. 

Do you think there is and will be less emphasis on hardware as the industry continues to evolve? Will more games be going cross-platform?

Stuart O’Brien: Most definitely. For an older generation of gamers like me, it feels like the move towards subscriptions, cross-platform and streaming has occurred relatively quickly, and it’s certainly opened up more commercial opportunities for game makers.

That said, and this will sound very 2005, mobile still has that ‘instant gratification on the move’ USP that no other games platform can really replicate, particularly for the casual gamer.

Tim Green: Again, going to be a bit old school here. Fifteen years ago people were talking about playing FIFA on your console, picking up the same game later on your phone and maybe updating your stats on your watch. It’s nonsense. Most people don’t want this.

That said, I’m sure clever developers will find a way to create great cross-platform experiences when new devices arrive. But they will be for niche audiences. The hundreds of millions who play Candy Crush won’t care. 

What do you enjoy about mobile gaming today? Are there any mobile games that stand out? Do you have a favourite? 

Stuart O’Brien: I mostly get to experience mobile games through the eyes of my ten-year-old son. Like all kids that age, he’s highly proficient with a smartphone – and Switch! – but as someone on the Autism spectrum, he gravitates towards certain kinds of experiences.

Minecraft is a perennial favourite across all his devices, but he’s also learning to code basic mods at his ComputerXplorers after-school club, which is awesome to see. Mobile games are also a fantastic development aid for his fine motor skills and anything that’s sensory he loves, so stuff like Subway Surfers, Pokemon Go and titles that involve fish or underwater worlds are a go to.

We try to avoid games that have hard fail states, which can frustrate him, so something like Ustwo’s Monument Valley is perfect in terms of gameplay and mindfulness.

Finally, what do you have going on currently? And what excites you most about the future of mobile gaming or gaming in general? 

Tim Green: I still write about mobile, mostly payments, as part of my consultancy and copywriting work.

Stuart O’Brien: For the last ten years, I’ve worked in mobile games as one of the team at a PR & events agency called Mimram Media.

We’re lucky enough to work with some awesome studios, fantastic service providers and vocal industry associations. It’s intriguing to see how projects evolve behind the scenes, and it’s always exciting to be part of the release of a new game, product or event.

Moreover, it’s fascinating to see how companies take different approaches to the challenges we face as an industry – particularly away from development within important areas like EDI and sustainability.