Gaming can safely be called a unique sphere of entertainment, because in its early days, no one took it seriously. World experts considered video games to be child’s play, which is doomed to lose to such segments as television, music and cinema. However, modern ratings and analytics show that the experts were very wrong, because today gaming, and especially the segment of mobile games, is the fastest growing and economically successful area of media.
Over the past couple of years, we have seen mobile gaming breaking records and generating billions of dollars in revenue. More and more gamers are using mobile devices to play games. The age of gamers is also changing, covering a wider and wider audience. In such realities, the entry of a new product in the sphere of gaming into the market faces huge competition, and therefore developers pay more and more attention to branding and visual identity.
Industry Features
The video game industry is interesting because much of the branding has two levels. The first is the brand of the company that produces and releases the video games. Second, but no less important, is the brand of the game itself.
Major game manufacturers and developers have some of the most recognizable logos that millions of people around the world know by heart, and consequently, consumer confidence in “related” brands and platforms is increasing. An example of this is, for example, the website SkyCoach.gg, which offers assistance to players with in-game services.
Visual Identity Trends
There is a huge number of projects with excellent logos that have managed to pass the test of time. The authors of these works managed to create a unique font that is simply impossible to copy, as well as to reflect the whole essence of a particular game in a single logo. Despite the fact that there are countless games today, it is still possible to trace certain trends in the design of their logos that make them the most successful.
- For example, many brands use images of weapons in their logos. This is due to the fact that many games have characters in their story that use weapons to defend or attack.
- Also incredibly popular are game logos featuring fantastical creatures, such as one of the most talked about video games of recent years, Genshin Impact. The game logo brings new users not only to the game, but also to platforms such as Genshin Boost.
- The third group of successful cases – Computer game logos stylized in the form of graffiti. Graffiti style is loved for its colorfulness and simplicity.
Marketing Perspective
At the end of 2023, the revenue of the global gaming economy amounted to about $184 billion (growth of 0.6% compared to the results of the previous year). Almost half of the turnover is due to the mobile segment. Looking at these figures, the prospects of the gaming industry cannot be underestimated.
One of the reasons why branding is important to the gaming industry is that gamers often identify strongly with the games they play. Thus, the promising trend will begin to extend far beyond game development.
In the last few years, several premium brands have launched their own video games and several more have announced their intention to work in this direction.
The reason is simple: the number of young people who are fans of luxury brands is increasing, and by 2025, analysts predict that 45% of fashion brands’ customers will be those who grew up playing video games.
Conclusion
Many games have memorable logos, but some have become truly iconic. The logo of any video game is meant to reflect its personality before we even get to know its gameplay and characters. Many game logos have become so famous that you only need one look to realize what the brand is all about.
While some logos simply represent the company in question, others are deeply tied to games through story and frequent use in the game. Weapon logos capture the essence of combat and warfare, logos depicting fantasy creatures reveal the theme of fantasy worlds, and graffiti-style logos reflect street culture. It is important that a game’s logo reflects its core elements and conveys the atmosphere of the game. A good logo can become a symbol of the game and its popularity in the world.
The key to effectively marketing a game company is to understand your target audience. Once you understand your customers, you can develop a brand identity, an identity and speak directly to your users. And many big-name brands from industries seemingly far removed from video games have figured this out too.
