This publication describes the state of the HTML5 mobile games ecosystem. About common challenges in developing HTML5 games for multiple devices. And on the solutions from the increasing number of good development tools and resources that are available today. Additionally, this publication describes the distribution potential of HTML5 games via the open mobile web and the traditional app-stores, different monetization models and some examples of successful HTML5 games released in 2012.

1. JANUARY 2013
HTML5: a developing games ecosystem
Essential facts you need to know about the state of HTML5 gaming
A BoosterMedia Publication
© 2013
www.boostermedia.com

2. CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
1 2 CROSS PLATFORM
HTML5 GAME
DEVELOPMENT & TOOLS
SMART DISTRIBUTION VIA
3
THE OPEN MOBILE WEB AND
TRADITIONAL APP-STORES
4 MONETIZING
HTML5 GAMES
5
SUCCESFULL HTML5
GAMES IN 2012
6 AN OUTLOOK
TOWARDS 2013
7
CONTACT US!

3. 20+ YEARS OF MOBILE GAMING: TIME FOR A NEW REVOLUTION?
MOBILE GAME i-mode WAP iOS
HTML5
CONSOLES (JAPAN) & J2ME APP-STORE

4. 1. INTRODUCTION
It has been around two years since the first generation of HTML5 games
came to the market as browser-based web-games or hidden as ‘native’
wrapped-apps in the app-stores. BoosterMedia estimates there are now
nearly one thousand HTML5 games available for mobile devices today, still
only a fraction of the number of native games for iOS and Android.
But this is changing rapidly as a vibrant HTML5 games ecosystem is starting
to arise. New and quickly improving HTML5 games
are released in ever larger numbers and good
tools make life easier for developers, helping
to overcome many of the initial difficulties
of this new technology.
BoosterMedia is committed to continuously
support and co-develop the HTML5 games
community and to be at the heart of the
evolution of this exciting new market.

5. 2. CROSS PLATFORM DEVELOPMENT: PICK YOUR RIGHT TOOLSET
In principle, HTML5 games should run MOST COMMON ISSUES
smoothly across all sorts of devices. In
reality, it requires good development FRAGMENTATION IN SCREEN SIZES
skills to cope with different screen BROWSER INCOMPATIBILITIES
sizes, to cope with divergent HTML5
LIMITED SOUND SUPPORT
support in the browser and to creatively deal with
some of the limitations that the technology still DIFFERENT DEVICE PERFORMANCE
has today. But with some handy tools and pre- WEBGL (3D) NOT IN ALL BROWSERS
developed game frameworks, good cross-platform NO ACCESS TO SOME NATIVE APIS
HTML5 games are being made.
TIPS 1. DON’T TRY TO REINVENT THE WHEEL: USE EXISTING TOOLS
2. FOCUS ON iPHONE, iPAD AND MOST POPULAR ANDROIDS FIRST
3. BUILD GREAT 2D GAMES NOW, LEAVE 3D FOR NEXT-GEN HTML5

6. 2. CROSS PLATFORM DEVELOPMENT: TOOLS & TRICKS
ONLINE HTML5 RESOURCES HTML5 GAME FRAMEWORKS HTML5 ASSETS
HTML5 ROCKS ULTIMATE JS TEXTURE PACKER
www.html5rocks.com/en www.logicking.com/index.php?page=html5 www.codeandweb.com/texturepacker
CAN I USE… IMPACT JS PNG GAUNTLET
www.caniuse.com www.impactjs.com www.pnggauntlet.com
MOZILLA DEVELOPER NETWORK PLAY N
developer.mozilla.org/en-US code.google.com/p/playn
PROFILING
WEB PLATFORM GAMEMAKER
www.webplatform.org www.yoyogames.com/gamemaker/studio
LIME JS CHROME DEVELOPER TOOLS
www.limejs.com developers.google.com/chrome-
FLASH & HTML5 GRAPHICS developer-tools/docs/overview
CRAFTY JS
www.craftyjs.com JS PERF
www.jsperf.com
ADOBE TOOLKIT FOR CREATEJS GAME QUERY
adobe.com/products/flash/flash-to- www.gamequeryjs.com
html5.html
ENCHANT OTHER TOOLS
ADOBE EDGE www.enchantjs.com/en/?s=en
html5.adobe.com/edge
AKIHABARA
GOOGLE SWIFFY www.kesiev.com/akihabara PHONE GAP
google.com/doubleclick/studio/swiffy www.phonegap.com
COCOS 2D
PIXEL PLANT www.cocos2d-javascript.org NETBEANS 7.3
www.pixelplant.com www.netbeans.org

7. 3. SMART DISTRIBUTION VIA THE OPEN WEB AND APP-STORES
Developers and publishers of native iOS and Android
games are increasingly struggling to gain traction in the
app-stores. HTML5 allows for wider distribution via the
open mobile web. Developers can license their games to
distributors such as the BoosterMedia network, or any
of the other HTML5 publishers, who handle the
promotion, marketing and
monetization.
Additionally, HTML5 games can still be
wrapped into a ‘native’ app and offered
via the traditional app-stores. An
increasing number of these so-called
hybrid-apps are becoming available.

8. 3. DISTRIBUTION VIA THE OPEN MOBILE WEB
BOOSTERMEDIA NOW DISTRIBUTES HTML5
GAMES VIA 100+ GAME CHANNELS WORLDWIDE

9. 3. DISTRIBUTION: NO NEED TO SEND USER AWAY TO APP-STORE
ONE OF THE BENEFITS OF HTML5 IS THAT IT ALLOWS ‘CLICK-AND-PLAY’
GAMING, WITHOUT SENDING THE USER AWAY TO AN EXTERNAL APP-STORE

10. 4. MONETIZING HTML5 GAMES
FOR BOTH BROWSER- MOST COMMON REVENUE MODELS
BASED AS WELL AS
‘WRAPPED’ HTML5
LICENSE FEE
GAMES, THERE ARE
DEVELOPER CHARGES AN (EXCLUSIVE) LICENSE
GENERALLY FOUR WAYS FEE TO THE PUBLISHER OR DISTRIBUTOR
TO MONETIZE A
GAME, WHERE THE APP- IN-GAME ADVERTISEMENTS
STORE HAS THE MOBILE ADS ARE INTEGRATED INTO THE
GAME, REVENUES SHARED WITH PUBLISHER
ADVANTAGE OF A WELL
DEVELOPED BILLING FREEMIUM REVENUES
SYSTEM . USER PAYS MICRO-PAYMENTS TO GAIN EXTRA
$€¥! LEVELS, POWER-UPS, VIRTUAL GOODS ETC
SUBSCRIPTION REVENUES
IN-GAME FREEMIUM USER PAYS WEEKLY OR MONTHLY FEE TO GET
PURCHASES UNLIMITED ACCESS TO ONE OR MORE GAMES

11. 5. SUCCESSFUL HTML5 GAMES IN 2012
HTML5 GAMES CAN BE
FOUND ON THE MOBILE WEB,
IN THE TRADITIONAL APP-
STORES WRAPPED AS A
‘NATIVE’ APP, OR ON BOTH.
NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW
THAT MANY OF THE BEST
PERFORMING MOBILE GAMES
OF 2012 ARE ACTUALLY
HTML5 GAMES…
FACT
RAGE OF BAHAMUT (CYGAMES, MOBAGE PLATFORM)
HAS TOPPED THE WORLDWIDE RANKINGS FOR MONTHS

12. 5. SUCCESSFUL HTML5 TITLES IN 2012: BROWSER-GAMES
CANONS & SOLDIERS (LOGICKING), AN ANGRY BIRDS TYPE OF GAME, IS ONE OF THE MORE
POPULAR HTML5 GAMES THAT CAN BE FOUND ON MANY WEB-GAMING CHANNELS. BASED
ON A SINGLE HTML5 CODE-BASE, IT RUNS SEAMLESSLY ON ALL DEVICES AND SCREENSIZES.

13. 5. SUCCESSFUL HTML5 TITLES IN 2012: BROWSER-GAMES
DROPLETS DISTANT ORBIT TIC-TAC-TOE

14. 5. SUCCESSFUL HTML5 GAMES IN 2012: WRAPPED INTO APPS
RAGE OF BAHAMUT DARK SUMMONER DRAGON COLLECTION

15. 5. SUCCESSFUL HTML5 GAMES IN 2012: WRAPPED INTO APPS
TRANSFORMERS MARVEL WAR OF HEROES GANG DOMINATION

16. 6. AN OUTLOOK TOWARDS 2013
At the end of 2012, the W3C took another important step towards a full
HTML5 standard. Big players like Intel and Samsung (together in Tizen
OS), Mozilla, Qualcomm, Amazon and others are increasingly supporting
this technology. And the HTML5 ecosystem of small and medium-sized
game developers and middleware providers is starting to thrive.
At the same time, the cost of acquisition to generate
traffic to native games in the traditional app-stores is
exploding, making games publishing an often unprofitable
venture, even with top-rankings in the popular charts.
All the signs are right for the take-off of HTML5 as a
serious standard for games development and
distribution in 2013, with thousands of new mobile
gaming channels appearing. These will not replace
native apps or the app-stores, but become a true
alternative for forward-thinking, successful and
profitable games development.

17. EVANGALIZATION GAMES DISTRIBUTION
7: CONTACT US!
info@boostermedia.com
twitter @boostermedia
www.boostermedia.com
HTML5 GAME STUDIO GAMES AGGREGATION