There was once a time when having a full-blown computer in your pocket was still a fairly novel concept, and game developers, publishers, and console-makers were all too eager to find ways to work their existing products and franchises into mobile apps. Some of these were terrible, offering cheap imitations of their big siblings and often charging exorbitant prices for microtransactions, but there were also a whole bunch that took a different approach. Around the end of the Xbox 360/PS3 generation, developers often found intuitive and genuinely helpful ways to pair mobile apps with their games. No longer did they feel like cash grabs–instead, they showed how mobile devices could enhance and supplement the traditional gaming experience.
And then they started disappearing.
Much like Kinect functionality, DualShock 4 touchpad support, and motion-control spin-offs, the mobile companion app slowly went the way of the dinosaur. The catalyst for writing this piece came when I decided to load up the Battlefield Companion app. It was a great way to check statistics and fine-tune loadouts, saving time that could then be spent actually playing games like Battlefield 4 and Battlefield 1. It’s something I sorely miss in Battlefield 6, as taking time to change my loadout means I either need to leave matchmaking and delay the fun, or spend the first moments of a Conquest game swapping out gun parts, hoping my teammates don’t hate me.
This post highlights an interesting perspective on the role of companion apps in gaming. It’s fascinating to see how technology evolves and how it can enhance our gaming experiences. Embracing these tools might bring back some of the excitement we once felt!