The gaming industry is still trying to slowly recover from the disruptions that have been brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yes, as people were forced to stay at home and quarantine themselves, the industry saw a major boom in terms of user acquisition and gaming usage. There was an increased demand in terms of gaming and it was evident in the way that hardware was practically unavailable for a huge portion of the population. All over the world, next-gen Xbox and PlayStation consoles were incredibly difficult for gamers to get their hands on, so many had to rely on their old games to keep them occupied. Some gamers are rediscovering their love for games like Diablo 2, and finding online guides (like this diablo 2 runes list) to help them unlock areas they have never unlocked before. Graphics cards from gaming titans AMD and NVidia were practically sold out even before they hit store shelves. Even game developers had to postpone the release of many much-awaited titles due to complications in typical productivity and workflow in the office.
However, many see 2023 as a bounce-back year for the online gaming market. Many experts anticipate that both suppliers (gaming developers, hardware manufacturers, etc.) and consumers alike will be happy at how the year will turn out for the online gaming industry. In this article, we are going to go over some of the most anticipated trends in online gaming for 2023.
4 Top Cyber Trends For Online Gamers
1. Subscription Gaming
In 2017, Microsoft changed the game when it established the Xbox Game Pass subscription. Microsoft saw the success of many subscription-based services, especially within the streaming industry with platforms like Netflix and Spotify. It broke the mold in 2017 by being the first major player in the gaming industry to offer a subscription gaming service. However, in 2023, Nintendo is looking to replicate the idea by offering a Switch Online subscription for its fan base of online gamers. There are also reports of Sony offering a similar subscription gaming service in the coming months.
The very idea of subscription gaming could dramatically alter the way that games are funded, developed, and priced on the market. There are numerous speculations on how this shift in gaming could potentially alter market behavior, but there is no definitive predictions on how this will turn out for the gaming community as a whole.
2. Cloud-Gaming
Cloud-gaming has long been touted as the next big thing when it comes to online gaming. However, things took a turn when Google Stadia shut down its in-house game development programs. This caused a big disruption in the development of cloud-gaming services, and it looks like 2023 could be the year that it experiences its big jump or fizzles out completely. Cloud-Gaming is still going to be reliant on the advancements made by flagship carriers Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. It also looks like Nvidia’s GeForce Now experience is going to be a big name in the game to look out for.
3. AR And VR Usage
AR and VR used to be touted as mere gimmicks when it came to gaming. Sure, the principles and theoretical ideas that served as the foundation for AR and VR when these technologies first came out were noble. However, in application, they weren’t all that inviting. A lot of that had to do with the general inaccessibility of AR and VR hardware. They were incredibly expensive and failed to offer much in return. However, it is a different story these days. More and more developers are integrating AR and VR technology in ways that have never been done before. For example, many of the casino platforms like Betnero are now rolling out AR and VR immersion for their gamers. This means that online gamblers have the opportunity to experience their favorite casino games in a manner that they have never been able to do before. Instead of staring at two-dimensional monitors, gamers are thrust into a virtual world that allow them to interact with their environment in unprecedented ways.
4. Crypto Gaming
Crypto is here to stay. And many leaders in the gaming industry are capitalizing on the rising popularity of this next-generation financial tool. Axie Infinity got the ball rolling in terms of how gamers could potentially use the blockchain for financial gaming and NFT transactions. Expect many players in the industry to replicate the success of Axie Infinity with their own developments and innovations in the field.
Another consideration is the buying and selling of digital assets that benefit gamers. For example, if you play Diablo 2 then your gaming characters can benefit greatly from Runes and you can get lists to purchase. If you play Ultima Online then you could benefit from digital weapons or real estate. You can do similar things with digital gold in Warcraft. You can even buy fully evolved and leveled up characters to save you hundreds or thousands of gaming hours. The list goes on as gamers look to level up quicker than they normally would for greater gaming.
The Final Word On New Online Gaming Trends
While these are the most anticipated trends in online gaming for the year, it is only but scratching the surface for what the gaming industry truly has to offer. For many years now, the gaming market has served as one of the most highly active and lucrative industries in the world. The gaming public can only expect more of the same kind of growth in the years to come.
