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Here is a list of seven key trends currently impacting the video game industry.
With the launch of both the PS5 and Xbox Series X, the gaming scene is set to undergo major changes over the next three to four years.
But next-gen hardware isn’t the only important gaming trend to watch.
In fact, there are several other important trends that anyone working in (or covering) the video games industry should be keeping an eye on, seven of which we’ll cover in this article.
1. More remakes and reboots
Like the film industry, the gaming industry has become increasingly reliant on remakes and reboots of existing franchises.
For example, Final Fantasy VII was remade and sold over 7 million copies.
A scene from the Final Fantasy VII remake.
Like Hollywood, the games industry makes above average profits from existing IP, and unlike entirely new franchises, they are less likely to fail.
Besides FF7, the remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 3 also sold well.
That’s why developers are working twice as hard to create new versions of classic games.
For example, Aspyr has released a new version of the classic Star Wars Battlefront game for next-gen consoles as the “Battlefront Classic Collection.”
Battlefront Classic Collection logo and art.
And Nintendo has remastered the acclaimed RPG Xenoblade Chronicles and re-released it as Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition.
Looking ahead, we can expect to see remakes and reboots of classic franchises like Silent Hill and Metal Gear Solid.
2. Roblox helps expand indie games
Searches for “Roblox” are still growing, up 57% over the past five years.
Indie games are nothing new.
What’s new is that indie game producers now have platforms (such as Steam) that allow them to easily distribute their new games.
As a result, indie games like Among Us, Rimworld, and Stardew Valley have become best-sellers.
Rimworld is one of many examples of indie titles boasting impressive sales numbers.
Roblox aims to expand on the indie gaming trend.
how?
Roblox combines game creation and game distribution into one platform.
And it seems to be working.
Roblox currently boasts over 70 daily and monthly active users.
To be clear, the vast majority of these users will never touch a development kit, nor will they build games using the Roblox Studio game engine.
But many people do.
And these aspiring game developers use the Roblox platform to get rapid feedback from a large user base of players to improve their games.
3. Triple AAA titles stalled
Many triple AAA titles are falling far short of expectations in 2023 and, so far, in 2024.
(both in sales and in critical reviews)
Perhaps the prime example of this trend is Starfield in Bethasda.
Starfield received lukewarm reviews from critics and players.
Despite being in development for almost a decade and undergoing multiple delays, this new IP received poor reviews (although sales were decent).
Some recent examples of AAA games that have suffered poor sales include:
Redfall Force Spoken Atomic Heart Skull Island
Of course, there are exceptions.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is a massive hit with a reported player base of 10 million.
A screenshot from Larian’s hit RPG “Baldur’s Gate 3.”
4. New PC gaming platform challenges Steam
There are currently 1.86 billion PC gamers worldwide.
Until recently, the PC gaming market was dominated by a single platform: Valve’s marketplace, Steam.
Steam’s rise to prominence is largely due to its first-mover advantage.
It was one of the first platforms where gamers could browse, buy, review, and play PC games in one place.
They’ve also built up a fairly large community of gamers who play the games together, discuss bugs on forums, and build mods.
But Steam’s first-mover advantage is starting to fade.
GOG.com was one of the first platforms to break Steam’s dominance.
GOG has established its brand as the go-to platform for older video games.
GOG initially focused on older games that were hard to find on Steam.
However, it now offers a wide variety of games, both old and new, including mainstream releases.
In fact, GOG is one of the few gaming ecosystems that offers The Witcher 3 alongside classics such as Heroes of Might and Magic.
Another unique feature of GOG is that all games sold on the platform are “DRM-free.”
DRM is a controversial practice in the gaming world.
Many gamers consider DRM to be a bit of a hassle.
Some see DRM as a larger issue, one that infringes on the rights consumers get when they pay for media.
In practice, “DRM-free” means that a game can be played without the platform having to “check” whether the gamer has purchased it legally.
This has given GOG more prominence than Steam.
But perhaps Steam’s biggest long-term challenger isn’t GOG: it’s Epic Games.
Search Epic Games Platform from 2019 onwards.
On the surface, Epic Games is similar to Steam or GOG.
We have a huge selection of games across a variety of genres, from strategy games to RPGs.
You can manage and launch your games from within the platform.
You can connect with other players to play multiplayer games.
A screenshot from the Epic Games Store.
What sets Epic Games apart is its unique library of games.
Specifically, as game creators, they are the only PC platform to offer the hit mobile game “Fortnite.”
And by offering a slew of exclusive titles, Epic Games hopes to encourage more Steam users to try out the platform.
For example, Metro Exodus was able to remain an Epic Games exclusive for a year after launch.
Only time will tell if these exclusive titles will help dethrone Steam.
Or how its public battle with Apple will end.
Either way, it will be interesting to see how Epic Games stacks up against the current Steam offering.
5. Growth and expansion of cloud gaming services
Searches for “cloud gaming” have increased 975% in the past five years
In theory, buying games online should be a great experience.
Browse thousands of titles and buy games instantly without leaving your home.
But in reality, buying games online can be problematic.
First, games can take several hours to download, especially from Sony PlayStation’s notoriously slow servers.
This means it’s often quicker to just drive to the store and buy a physical copy of the game.
Secondly, your hardware may not be up to par, which can cause performance issues.
Or maybe you don’t have enough space on your PC or console to save a new game.
Enter cloud gaming.
Cloud gaming avoids all these pesky issues.
Instead of buying and downloading games, you stream them in real time.
That way, gamers can use the latest and greatest hardware without having to invest in it.
Plus, you don’t need to download anything – you can start playing right away.
Perhaps this is why there are currently around 295 million cloud gaming users worldwide.
It’s not just consumers who favor cloud gaming.
The streaming service, PlaystationPlus, provides Sony with a valuable recurring revenue stream.
It also allows publishers to monetize older games, including those from previous console generations, years after their release.
6. The fierce battle for next-generation game consoles
No list of gaming trends would be complete without discussing the next generation of consoles, the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.
But it’s clear that these two console giants (and the Nintendo Switch) will pretty much dictate the biggest trends in the gaming industry for the next few years.
The Nintendo Switch is a wild card in the console wars, as it was launched in 2017 and therefore spans a console generation.
As with previous console wars, the console with the best games will likely win.
However, each console has some unique features that set it apart from the others.
For example, the PS5 comes equipped with a high-end SSD. This hardware upgrade from the PS4 will significantly reduce loading times.
This allows game developers to create larger, more detailed worlds.
The Xbox Series X is equipped with a “Smart Delivery” feature.
This essentially gives away Xbox Series X versions of previously purchased Xbox One games for free (assuming the titles appear on both consoles).
For now, the PS5 seems to have the edge.
A recent report revealed that PS5 sales outnumbered Xbox Series X by 5:1 in the first quarter of 2024.
7. Early Access changes the game development process
According to a study published in Empirical Software Engineering, roughly 15% of games offered on Steam are in “Early Access.”
And this number is expected to grow significantly in 2024 and beyond as early access becomes the norm for many developers.
Early Access benefits both gamers and developers.
Gamers love this because it allows them to play games months or even years in advance.
Developers use Early Access as a way to get feedback from real players, feedback that could ultimately change the direction of the game.
For example, sci-fi strategy game Rimworld has become one of the highest-rated games on Steam thanks to a development cycle focused on Early Access.
Rimworld sold thousands of copies as an Early Access game and received rave reviews upon its full release a few years later.
game over
These are the seven biggest trends happening in games right now – and expected to grow in 2024 and beyond.
Changes in technology are rapidly transforming the way games are made and played.
From developers creating new AAA titles for the ninth generation of consoles to independent developers releasing indie games on Roblox and Epic Games, the gaming market is constantly changing.