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From shakeups in business models to the next generation of reality-altering gadgets, here are the gaming trends to watch out for this year.

In 2021, there were three billion gamers around the world, up by 5.3% from the previous year. The video game industry was one of the few to experience an unprecedented boom despite the COVID-19 pandemic and remained resilient in 2021, generating total revenues of USD 180.3 billion.

This year, big changes are on the horizon for gaming enthusiasts. Let’s take a look.

Gaming subscription services

Think of it as Netflix for video games: Instead of buying one game at a time, you pay for a subscription that lets you access a catalog of games. 

With its Xbox Game Pass subscription, tech giant Microsoft has been an outlier in this industry since 2017. That will change this year. Nintendo has expanded its Switch Online subscription, giving players access to a more extensive library of games with online functionality so they can compete or team up with other players.

Sony is reportedly planning to launch a new subscription service. Code-named Spartacus, PlayStation owners will be able to access a library of modern and classic games for a monthly fee. Expected to launch this spring, the service will combine Sony’s two existing subscription plans, PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now.

Gaming companies use subscriptions to create recurring revenue streams, provide exclusive content, and increase playing time and frequency. According to the Simon-Kucher Global Gaming Study, which polled more than 13,000 gamers in 17 countries, 35% of gamers are already using a subscription service. 

And in the same way that on-demand TV has led to many sleepless nights of bingeing series, 70% of gamers surveyed by Simon-Kucher said they play more when buying a gaming subscription.

Cloud-based gaming

Instead of downloading and installing games on a PC or console, cloud gaming lets you play video games using a host company’s remote servers in data centers. With cloud gaming, you don’t need to own an expensive console or a powerful computer to play games. Instead, you can open an app or browser to play–provided you have a reliable Internet connection.

Gaming as a service (GaaS) has been trying to take off for years, but its biggest hurdles have been strong infrastructure (data centers and server farms) and high-bandwidth Internet connections with low latency. 

This will be cloud gaming’s “make-or-break year,” according to Janko Roettgers and Nick Statt of Protocol. “Cloud gaming remains dependent on strong infrastructure and good internet connections, and even the most capable of tech titans like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft can’t deliver experiences without noticeable lag, stuttering, and other issues,” they shared. “That’s a deal-breaker for most competitive online games.”

(Also read: How the COVID-19 Pandemic Accelerated Cloud Adoption)

Augmented and virtual reality

As the race to compete in the metaverse–a virtual world of work and play–heats up, the biggest names in consumer electronics are announcing new reality-altering products. 

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) early this month, Sony teased its next-generation virtual reality headset. The PlayStation VR2 will work with Sony’s PlayStation 5 console and function alongside the new VR2 Sense controller. It features an OLED display supporting 4K resolution, foveated rendering, and a 110-degree field of view.

“Building upon our innovations from PS5, PlayStation VR2 adds a true next-gen experience with high-fidelity visuals, new sensory features, and enhanced tracking–along with a simplified single-cord setup,” Sony shared in an announcement.

In a pivot to the metaverse, Facebook rebranded as Meta last year, and its Oculus Quest 2 VR headset was a hit during the holidays. It was one of the top sellers in Amazon’s video games category and was the #1 app in Apple’s App Store on Christmas Day.

From Panasonic to TCL to Canon, other big names in consumer electronics are getting involved with virtual and augmented reality products. The race to dominate digitally-enhanced worlds is gaining steam, with analysts projecting global demand will reach USD 454.73 billion by 2030.

(Also read: Augmented and Virtual Reality Finds its Place in the Real World)

Crypto and gaming

Traditional games are centralized. As you collect gear, weapons, cards, skins, and other items, they reside in an inventory within the game and cannot be used outside of it. 

Blockchain technology is changing all that, giving players ownership of in-game assets in the form of non-fungible tokens or NFTs. Because these NFT game assets are immutable, minted in defined quantities, and can be sold or traded, players get real-world value from their in-game assets.

The popularity of the play-to-earn game Axie Infinity, created by Vietnamese start-up Sky Mavis, could pave the way for other blockchain games, which are proving popular in developing countries. The crypto movement has left both players and big game publishers divided. But, with major industry players and VCs making massive investments in blockchain gaming, it’s likely here to stay.

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