Mobile gaming is a big business. From elementary school children to grandparents, college kids to young professionals, it seems everyone has gotten in on the mobile trend. And we mean everyone: in 2013, over 1.2 billion people across the globe were playing games on their mobile devices, and that number is steadily rising.
With mobile gaming’s popularity showing no signs of slowing, there’s never been a better time to take that idea you had for an awesome game and turn it into a reality.
But except you’re a professional mobile game developer, it can be hard to know where to start. With so many resources and information out there on mobile game development software, how do you pinpoint the best game development tools for beginners? Tools that will leave you with a well-designed, easy-to-play game that your target demographic will go crazy for?
We’re here to simplify the mobile game development process with this roundup of the best mobile game development tools to take your game from idea to app store in no time (and with as little stress as possible):-
- Construct2
If you’re looking to build a 2D game with the potential to work across a variety of platforms, Construct 2 could be just what you’re looking for. In terms of mobile, they support them all: iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and Blackberry. But Construct 2 is unique in that it also allows you to you to run your games on desktop operating systems and on the web (through HTML5). The ability to create games that run on so many platforms really opens up opportunities to reach a wider range of players
In Construct2 tool the drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to place objects anywhere the beginners want to like and add the behaviors and interactions that bring a game to life.
One also has the ability to preview the game in the browser of your choice without compiling, which will give you real-time feedback on the game performance and give you insights into any changes or adjustments you need to make before finalizing your gameplay.
Learn more about this tool at Scirra.
- SpeedTree for Games.
For the settings of a mobile game that takes place outdoors the SpeedTree tool for Games is best to prefer. This tool is known in the industry as a “vegetation modeling tool”, it allows you to quickly and easily create realistic-looking trees and foliage.
In SpeedTree for Game, the developer can create their exclusive tree designs or use one of their pre-made designs to make populating your outdoor world a snap.
The resolutions are augmented for devices with lower performing platforms like mobile phones, ensuring each of your players has an optimal experience compatible with all type of phones.
Learn more about this tool at SpeedTree.com.
- Wwise.
The best games are fully immersive experiences. The Developer should always remember an Audio is a most important component of any great mobile game supporting with best graphics and visual.
Learn more about this tool at Audiokinetic.com.
Wwise, which supports iOS, Android, and Windows Phone, is “an interactive sound engine empowering audio creators.” This tool allows you to seamlessly insert high-quality audio to create a more well-rounded and immersive gaming experience for your players. For any type of game, you’re developing, whether it’s first-person shooter, a puzzle game, or a traditional side-scroller, the right sound is only going to strengthen the game-play and make it that much more addicting for your mobile game users.
- Fusion 2.5
If you’re a true trainee in the world of mobile game development, you need a smooth tool that will take you from game idea to actual game quickly, easily, and with as little inconvenience as possible.
Enter Fusion 2.5
Fusion 2.5 is a 2D game creation platform that allows you to create event-based 2D games in an hour flat. This tool supports a huge library of pre-made graphics which one can insert into their game, essentially cutting out the time-consuming and tech-heavy design process.
They even have a free edition, so if you’re just testing the waters, this will give you a solid idea of what it’s like to develop a game, will allow you to see what your idea looks like in game form, and decide if your idea is worth further investment.
Learn more about this tool at Clickteam.com.
- Playir
Playir is another great tool for a true trainee, especially those looking to break into the 3D mobile game space. Identical to Fusion 2.5, Playir offers a host of characteristics best suited to new developers like a drag-and-drop interface and pre-existing templates and graphics to use in your game. But Playir also offers 3D animators which will allow you to take your game to a whole new dimension.
Learn more about this tool at Playir.com.
- GameMaker Studio
A hybrid tool, that will support your growth from trainee to an expert developer, GameMaker Studio offers the best of all worlds. This 2D tool from YoYo Games allows you to create powerful single and multi-player gaming experiences.
What’s exclusive about GameMaker Studio is you have the ability to use a drag-and-drop interface to build your game (which is a great option for newer developers) or code your game from scratch using GameMaker Language (GML), GameMaker’s C-based programming language.
Learn more about this tool at YoYoGames.com.
GameMaker Studio asserts a host of favorable features, to support developer anywhere in the development scope that includes in-app purchase support, real-time analytics, and a wide variety of user engagement tools.
- Substance Designer.
If you’re going for a realistic feel for your mobile game, one design features you’ll need to think about is texture. All objects have depth and texture (like the potholes on a street or the light variations in the ocean) and capturing that in a realistic way can be a challenge, even for experienced mobile game developers.
Even better, you can easily export those textures to any game engine or renderer, giving you a lot of flexibility in the development process.
That’s where Substance Designer comes in. Substance Designer allows you to spontaneously create an enormous number of materials and produce both Substance textures and MDL Materials that add a realistic edge to your mobile game.
Learn more about this tool at Allegorithmic.com.
- StingRay
One challenge that developers face is that because they develop their games on a desktop, there isn’t always an easy way to test their game play on mobile devices to get a sense of user experience and areas that need to be improved from a mobile standpoint.
StingRay is proficient as it allows you to seamlessly test a game at each and every stage of development on a mobile device by supporting a live link between a mobile platform and desktop platform. Developers appreciate this tool because it saves a ton of time and energy during the testing process.
Learn more about this tool at Autodesk.com.
- GameSparks.
GameSparks is a great all-around tool for developers that helps to upgrade revenue and player engagement. The social and monetization tools allow you to analyze your player behavior, encourage engagement and social sharing through features like tournaments and chat functionality and split test new features to continually optimize your game-play.
Learn more about this tool at GameSparks.com.
- CoCoonJS.
If anyone looking to bring an HTML game to mobile—without let-go everything you admire about your game like graphics, performance, and game play– you’ll definitely want to check out CoCoonJS.
This platform permits to port HTML games to mobile platforms easily and without losing any of the game’s performance.
Learn more about this tool at Ludei.com.
- Marmalade
Marmalade is the most prominent tool on this list and is also a developer favorite for creating mobile C++ games across multiple platforms.
Marmalade has a host of adequate and suitable features, like the ability to develop the base code inside Marmalade and later on add platform-specific features and additions for each platform you plan to export your game.
Learn more about this tool at MarmaladeGameStudio.com.
- Helix.
Helix is a versioning software by Perforce that helps developers scale and grow their apps. With features like threat exposure and code scalability metrics, developers are able to adapt their games in a way that maximizes growth and revenue. Helix also helps to protect your creative assets and ensure that your game is safe as you grow.
Learn more about this tool at Perforce.com.
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- Viber
For the social focus of a game, Viber is awesome. This development tool has a cross-platform layer that permits to integrate a social feed where players can interact in real-time during gameplay. Viber also upgrades social participating and sparks competition with various leaderboard challenges, increasing engagement with your players.
Learn more about this tool at Viber.com.
Conclusion
With mobile gaming gaining popularity every day, there’s never been a better time to move on that idea you’re sure could be the next Candy Crush or Angry Birds.
And these are the mobile game development tools, that will be very helpful in bringing that game to life.
