2. Despite iPad 2, Android Becomes the King in Mobile
Although Apple made its iPad 2 announcement simultaneously with GDC, Google made its own waves by passing out free Cr-48 laptops at Google’s Web Developer Day, as well as a free Motorola Xoom tablet or a Nexus S smartphone to those attending technical sessions on Android.
Other companies on the Android wagon included Sony Ericsson and Unity Technologies.
Sony Ericsson introduced their Xperia Play, the first PlayStation-certified smartphone that features a slide-out pad for gaming. Here’s a good demo of the new device.
Unity Technologies announced the release of the Unity Android add-on for its development platform, which allows game developers to port their Unity-based projects to Android devices. The add-on features an integrated editor for deploying a single project on multiple platforms, as well as support for upcoming Android devices, such as Tegra Tablets and the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play. Other features are an optimized graphics pipeline or OpenGL ES 2.0 and the ability to use an Android phone as an input device to view/test projects directly.
As Android continues to see increased device adoption and further integration of gaming on the platform, we expect to see Google rolling in the coins and make a big move into gaming.
3. Brands and Mobile Social Explode
We are starting to see growing legitimacy around social gaming and mobile gaming. Major players like John Romero, Steve Meretzsky, and Ralph Koster – whose bread and butter was PC games – have moved into social gaming. Even Nintendo president Satoru Iwata stressed the importance of social interaction in his keynote speech.
Social gaming on mobile brings a number of positives; creating for mobile is conducive to smaller team projects, and has the potential to tap into hundreds of millions of people, unlike games for one platform.
Another hot topic in mobile social was taking existing brands and IPs and pushing them into social; Playdom is a great example of this, with their “ESPN College Town” developed with ESPN University. The Playfish team has also seen great success with the Monopoly brand.
Overall, GDC this year had a great vibe to it. We’re seeing a ton of potential in mobile social, and the explosion of platforms is providing an exciting and competitive edge to the space. As we move further into 2011, we can’t wait to see what the talented developers of our industry have in store for us. 
About the Author:
Jamie Hall is a mobile entertainment and technology veteran, delivering innovative consumer products, services and social communities using cutting-edge mobile technologies. Jamie co-founded MocoSpace in 2005 with his with partner and longtime friend Justin Siegel. As president and CTO of MocoSpace, Jamie leads the company’s product development and technology initiatives. Justin and Jamie also co-founded JSmart Technologies, a pioneering company in the mobile games & entertainment industry. At JSmart Jamie led the development of an extensive portfolio of casual games and entertainment products across a wide range of mobile technologies. He oversaw JSmart’s sale in 2004 to the SK Group. Jamie holds a BA in Mathematical Economics from Tufts University, and an MBA from Tel Aviv University.
