Open letter claims mobile gamedev is “ignored” because industry perceives it as a “world of predatory monetization and low quality”

Christian Lövstedt, CEO of Midjiwan AB, has published an open letter to the “global games industry” calling out peers for “routinely overlook[ing]” mobile games and the people who make them.

In the letter, posted to LinkedIn, Lövstedt said “mobile [gaming] is one of the most played and most profitable platforms in gaming, currently representing 55% of the global gaming market, but is often ignored and looked down on” because “too many” perceive it as a “world of predatory monetization and low quality.”

The letter comes after BAFTA released its longlist of games earlier this week, with Monumental Valley 3 being the only mobile-first game to “make the list.”

“D.I.C.E., one of the better award bodies for acknowledging mobile gaming, has only ever nominated a mobile game for Game of the Year twice, Angry Birds HD and Pokémon Go. And they were the only dedicated game awards body to nominate them, despite how commercially and culturally impactful both games are,” Lövstedt wrote, pointing out that while there had been “hope” when BAFTA dropped platform-specific awards, “it resulted in mobile games being almost entirely ignored.”

“Awards and media shape the narrative of what counts as culturally or creatively valuable,” he added.

“If we celebrate innovation, we should celebrate it everywhere. If we value creativity, we should value it wherever players find it. If we care about the future of the industry, we should care about a platform that defines it.

“The industry has a choice. Acknowledge its largest and most creative platform or continue rewarding a shrinking definition of what counts as ‘real gaming.'”