Video: The 9 biggest trends from free-to-play games in 2012

Courtesy of the GDC Vault , this free, hour-long GDC 2013 video sees top analysts from Joju Games, Playdom, and Funsockets review the best games and the nine biggest trends from 2012's Facebook, mobile, and open Web F2P games.

The lecture begins with a quick review of the last four years for F2P games across platforms, and sharing 2013's estimated revenue for mobile gaming ($5.6 billion) will be twice the size of Facebook ($2.8 billion). Moreover, in 2013, they predict Facebook will be even tougher to break in on, and mobile gaming will be more open.

The trio also looks at what made SuperCell's Clash of Clans and King.com's Candy Crush Saga some of the top-grossing games of 2012, along with the continuing trend of casino games cashing in on mobile and Facebook, such as Big Fish Casino .

For all nine trends explored in detail, check out the GDC 2013 lecture above.

Session Name: Free to Play Game Design: A Year in Review

Speaker(s): Juan Gril, Steve Meretzky, Dave Rohrl

Company Name(s): Joju Games, Playdom, Funsockets

Track / Format: Free to Play Design & Business Summit

Overview: Dave Rohrl, Juan Gril, and Steve Meretzky have long been key analysts of the hottest areas of gaming. Their annual reviews of casual, social, and indie games have been staples of the GDC Summits for years. Now they are joining forces to cover the latest trends and the most interesting games in the free-to-play games arena. The talk will cover Facebook games, mobile games, and games on the open Web.

This tag team lecture will bring you up to speed on the current state of the free-to-play market, and leave you prepared to get the most out of the rest of the Free to Play Design & Business Summit sessions to follow.
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