The video game industry is a source of constant innovation, with many of its cutting-edge technologies being adopted by the business world.
While virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) applications are just beginning to be used in the industry, gamers have been using headsets to enter fully immersive worlds for years. The notion of metaverse isn’t new to gamers either: persistent, avatar-driven digital environments, and even digital currencies, have long been accepted as part of mainstream gaming.
Let’s go ! The 10 main video game trends in 2024
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Of course, in addition to serving as a technological showcase, games are one of the most popular forms of modern entertainment and can be a great way to relax when we can’t face another spreadsheet or a another Zoom meeting. So here are some of the ways we can expect the $350 billion video game industry to evolve in 2024, bringing us greater immersion, more realistic experiences and, above all, fun !
Generative AI in games
In 2024, we will start to see the impact of the latest generation of generative AI tools really take off in the gaming space. Examples of how it will be used include dynamic scenario generation, scenario creation more natural and credible. characters who can converse with players without simply reading scripts and help build large game worlds and environments.
Games on demand
Google’s Stadia streaming game service may not exist in 2023 – it turned out to be a great idea, backed by solid technology, that just didn’t appeal to consumers. However, other cloud services have continued to grow, including Nvidia’s GeForce Now and Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming. Amazon and Netflix have also entered the market, with Netflix taking a different approach by offering downloadable gaming content to users’ devices. While none of these services can claim to have gone mainstream yet, they have all shown that on-demand gaming can be a viable market in its own right. This is a trend that is expected to continue until 2024.
E-Sports and Pro-Gaming
Esports involves the merging of gaming with aspects of traditional sports, such as professional leagues, live audiences, and broadcast television coverage. Professional tournaments organized by global sporting bodies, including FIFA and the FIAare well established and will continue to grow in importance as the market heads towards a projected valuation of $6.75 billion by 2030. All of this means that younger video game enthusiasts will be tempted to view professional gaming as a legitimate and potentially lucrative activity. future career in 2024.
VR games continue to grow and a resurgence of augmented reality?
It is becoming more and more common for many games to launch with a VR mode these days – and if there isn’t one, resourceful fans will often add their own. AR games, on the other hand, arguably haven’t seen much success since Pokemon Go in 2016, but with a range of new headsets on the way, 2024 could see a resurgence in the use of reality fusion technology to create innovative games. and experiences.
Consolidation and acquisitions – Even legends are not safe
On the business front, we’ve seen a wave of consolidations and acquisitions, some of a truly epic scale, like Microsoft’s $70 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard. This trend is expected to continue through 2024, with some rumors suggesting that even the industry’s oldest grandfathers, like Nintendo – may not be too big for the appetites of industry titans.
Retro games and remakes – from niche to mainstream
Players love playing with the latest cutting-edge technology, but sometimes they just want to blast away at Space Invaders or chase ghosts in a maze while nibbling points. Retro gaming has become a strong trend in recent years, with many companies such as Atari taking the opportunity to repackage classic titles for a new audience, proving that classic gameplay can be just as enduring as the beloved music and films of yesteryear. Remakes of games popular with previous generations – like the next one Final Fantasy VII Rebirth – will also be a key trend.
Collaborative and creative play continues to engage players
Games that encourage players to work together to build and create – rather than simply blasting through waves of enemies – have become increasingly popular, at least since Minecraft arrived more than a decade ago. Titles like Roblox have evolved the concept, allowing users to create their own games from scratch. Players have shown they are eager to engage in this creative and collaborative form of gaming, and we can expect to see continued innovation in this area.
Larger, more immersive game worlds
Advances in hardware power mean that game developers are creating bigger, more immersive, and more graphically impressive experiences every year. Games are gradually becoming capable of producing photorealistic levels of image fidelity in real time – some of the most impressive being those built with the Unreal Engine 5. So far we’ve seen some very impressive technology demonstrations, but as developers become more familiar with the possibilities (and budgets) needed to use the latest techniques such as real-time ray tracinggames will become more realistic than ever.
A new generation of portable gaming devices
Recent years have seen the growing popularity of portable gaming PCs, first in the form of the Steam Deck and then, as is often the case in the PC market, in the rush of manufacturers to create derivatives and compatibles. . Rumors abound that 2024 will also see the launch of a New version of the Nintendo Switch, which would make sense since the original machine, still extremely popular, will be celebrating its eighth anniversary, making it practically a retiree in terms of gaming technology.
Declining interest in blockchain and Web3 in gaming?
Okay, so this is a question that may be a little outdated. Although previously expected to have a big impact, big names in game development, including Electronic Arts and Activision, have canceled or scaled back plans for features like NFT collectibles and loot crates in Games. Additionally, disastrous cryptocurrency price crashes have led to a decline in the play-to-earn blockchain gaming market as Axie Infinite which were once considered important to the future of gaming. Blockchain and Web3 enthusiasts point out that the technology in general is still in its infancy, and some of these use cases may simply be ahead of their time. However, if the cryptocurrency market emerges from its current prolonged slump in 2024, we may well see a surge in interest. Time will tell us.
You can read more about these topics in my books, The future Internet: how the metaverse, Web 3.0 and blockchain will transform business and society, Future Skills: The 20 Skills and Competencies Everyone Needs to Succeed in a Digital World And Business trends in practicewhich won the 2022 Business Book of the Year award. And don’t forget to subscribe my newsletter and follow me X (Twitter), LinkedInAnd Youtube to learn more about future trends in business and technology.
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