Some people just have to be first. We all have a friend or neighbor like it; in the early 90s, they had a brick of a mobile phone in hand, and today, they are certain to have an electric car or two parked outside their house. When it comes to nations, Australia is a little like that neighbor. In the B2C field, tech innovations tend to be grabbed with both hands, while from a B2B perspective, Australia’s tech industry is growing dramatically and is now the nation’s third highest contributor to GDP.
It’s a trend that has not gone unnoticed in the gaming industry. With a population of just 25 million, Australia is smaller than some US states. Yet an incredible 17 million regularly play games. For developers, it makes Australia the ideal test bed for putting a game on a limited release prior to a full global launch. For marketers and strategists, on the other hand, the Australian gaming market serves as an accurate crystal ball – what is big in Australia today is invariably a global trend tomorrow.
Without further ado, let’s take a look into that crystal ball and pick out some of the Aussie gaming trends that are likely to become global phenomena.
Casino platforms fire enthusiasm for cross-platform play
The past five years have seen mobile take an ever stronger grip on the overall gaming market. That’s a pattern that is obvious worldwide. However, Australian gamers are starting to demand more choice and flexibility. It all stems from Australia’s significant population of casino players. Remember, with almost 70 percent of the entire population playing games, that includes plenty in their 40s, 50s and 60s.
They are generally less interested in the latest MMORPG than in their favorite pokies and other casino games like blackjack and video poker. Now mobile casino platforms are already well established and there are dozens competing for Aussie gamers’ attention by offering competing bonuses and promos – see https://www.australiainternetpokies.com/bonuses/. Australian players are, however, increasingly found to be more interested in what it delivers experience-wise than saving a couple of bucks with a bonus.
That’s what prompted casinos to start offering cross-platform functionality. It means players can enjoy their favorite games at home on a desktop device and literally carry on where they left off on mobile later on. It takes no great leap to see how useful this functionality could be on other types of games, from sport to RPG so expect to see it being offered across more and more titles in the coming months and years.
Breaking beyond gaming
When Elden Ring was released last year, it generated more hype in Australia than Top Gun: Maverick, driving five times as many Google searches. That’s more than just an interesting stat for marketing executives to quote at conferences. It speaks volumes for what really gets today audiences excited and engaged – 40 years ago, it was Tom Cruise action movies. Today, it’s not (sorry, Tom).
There are opportunities out there for those with the imagination to do really exciting things. For example, both fashion brand Balenciaga and rapper Travis Scott each signed very different partnership agreements with Fortnite last year.
Brands setting up in the Metaverse
In Australia, at least, brands are starting to sit up and take notice of the opportunities the metaverse brings. Travis Scott’s Fortnite concert is an extreme example, but other brands are making moves of their own.
For example, KFC created its own game console last year, which started selling well once audiences had been convinced it was not a hoax. Other brands, like Louis Vuitton and Walmart are investing directly in their own presence in the metaverse, while still others are taking more of an indirect approach through areas like eSport sponsorship. These include big name brands like Monster, Gillette, HP, Coca Cola and Red Bull.
