The Endless Runner genre stems from 2D platformer games in the 90s. Back then, 2D platformers such as Super Mario were all the rage. The gameplay was simple, where the player controls all aspects of the main protagonist (Mario), including moving, jumping and shooting.
With the proliferation of smartphones and tablets since 2007, mobile consumption habits evolved to short-term attention spans. Users are more accustomed to ‘snackable gaming’, where game sessions are minutes instead of hours. To meet this demand, developers had to simplify 2D platformer games.
The first variation involved replicating the 2D platformer experience on the mobile device, without movement controls. Developers essentially made the main character constantly run. Players only had two controls — jump and shoot. The games were designed to be in endless mode. This was one of the earliers endless runners. The Endless Runner genre stems from 2D platformer games in the 90s. Back then, 2D platformers such as Super Mario were all the rage. The gameplay was simple, where the player controls all aspects of the main protagonist (Mario), including moving, jumping and shooting.
With the proliferation of smartphones and tablets since 2007, mobile consumption habits evolved to short-term attention spans. Users are more accustomed to ‘snackable gaming’, where game sessions are minutes instead of hours. To meet this demand, developers had to simplify 2D platformer games.
The first variation involved replicating the 2D platformer experience on the mobile device, without movement controls. Developers essentially made the main character constantly run. Players only had two controls — jump and shoot. The games were designed to be in endless mode. This was one of the earliers endless runners.
