Is HTML5 the answer for casual gamers?

“Over the past two years we have seen the mobile browsers get stronger and stronger, mobile devices get more and more powerful, and consumers upgrading their phones and tablets at a more rapid pace than anticipated. The time for mobile web gaming has arrived,” said Rob Grossberg, TreSensa CEO.

HTML5 has had a pretty bumpy ride in terms of the hype cycle, going from top dog in 2011 as Facebook was launching its Project Spartan initiative to doghouse by mid 2012 when that project was scrapped and trashed. Despite the ups and downs, the fundamental promise and value of HTML5 never diminished.

“Certain gaps in the technology have been filled over the past year, and that, combined with the better browsers and devices, has meant that HTML5 is ready for primetime. It may not be the right solution for a certain set of mobile games (e.g., first person shooters or super-rich graphic games), but for most genres of casual games, HTML5 is a perfect option to develop a mobile game,” said Grossberg.

And because gaming has grown so quickly, big brands are now coming to the space, building incentivized games, sponsoring games and trying to connect with gamers.

“The challenge to date for brands has been that the only way to get games on mobile was by producing native games,” said Grossberg. “Enter mobile web games. Mobile web games can be produced in a fraction of the time and cost of a native game and can be shared directly by the brands through their existing social platforms like Twitter and Facebook (again, just a click of a link with Twitter or Facebook on mobile or desktop). As an example, last summer HBO produced a mobile web game for season 6 of its True Blood franchise and used it to engage the True Blood fan base within its existing Facebook and Twitter channels.”