Why do I focus on HTML5 game development

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-do-i-focus-html5-game-development-chiyuan-ma/

Stay in the App

Playing a HTML5 game does not need to jump out of the current app.

That's why Facebook provide Instant Game platform and Wechat has Mini Game platform. They want users to stay in their apps to play games with their friends or families. The key part is STAY IN THEIR APP, only HTML5 games can achieve that.

Cross-platform

Cross-platform means less costing than creating native apps for each OS.

There are two game engines I use the most, Cocos Creator and Laya Air.

Both of them can build my game to native version and HTML5 canvas/webgl version.

Publish the native version on IOS and Google Play. Then release HTML5 version on Facebook Instant Game and Wechat Mini Game platform.

Playable ads

To get more users for native game app. Many developers will publish HTML5 version of their game on web game platform then direct web game users to the App Store or Google Play for user acquisition.

Same idea, there is a concept called "Playable ads" which allow users to try a sample of your app before installing.

By loading a HTML5 version of your game, users can tap to try your game instantly.

Playable ads as a new format of ad campaign can decrease cost per install (CPI) and improve ROAS.

More suited to emerging markets

Users from third-tier countries usually have these low-end devices which has limited space to install many game apps.

Play games instantly in browser without installation has become a trend.

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Factors Restricting Development of HTML5 Game

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/factors-restricting-development-html5-game-chiyua...

There are two main factors that have restricted the development of HTML5 game.

1. Network speed

2. Performance issues

However, with the 5G era coming, on mobile devices, the higher download speeds and greater bandwidth will solve the loading drawbacks of HTML5 games.

Performance issues have always been a problem that restricts the development of HTML5. 

Since Unity 5, a Unity Player plugin which allows running in-browser games developed in that engine has been replaced with an HTML5 exporter using WebGL. 

However, Unity WebGL doesn't support mobile devices. See https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/webgl-browsercompatibility.html

“Note that Unity WebGL content is not currently supported on mobile devices. It may still work, especially on high-end devices, but many current devices are not powerful enough and don’t have enough memory to support Unity WebGL content well. For this reason, Unity WebGL shows a warning message when trying to load content on mobile browsers (which can be disabled if needed).”

Drawbacks of Unity WebGL:

• Does not run well on mobile devices.
• If you have a WebGL only bug it could be difficult to track down (no source maps for example).
• The output is not exactly lightweight.
• Unity is not open source.

If the HTML5 performance bottleneck cannot be resolved, the entire industry will be difficult to grow and develop.

The opportunities for HTML5 Game Engines like Cocos Creator and Laya Air

The two engines really filled the gap of HTML5 game development since Unity WebGL does not support mobile devices. Meanwhile they are both open-source and free.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/cocos-creator-cross-platform-2d3d-game-engine-chiyuan-ma/

90% of the Wechat mini games are built with Cocos Creator or Laya Air.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/take-look-40-html5-games-wechat-built-layaair-game-engine-chiyuan-ma/ 40 HTML5 Games on Wechat built with Laya Air Game Engine

On Facebook Instant Game platform, many great games are developed with Cocos Creator and Laya Air.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/facebook-instant-games-built-laya-air-cocos-creator-chiyuan-ma/ Facebook Instant Games built with Laya Air and Cocos Creator