The gaming industry has witnessed a meteoric rise in the last few years, not least because of the advancements in AI, spatial computing, Mixed Reality (MR), and more. As the demand for more life-like gaming increases, developers continue to explore new techniques and storylines and improve general gameplay. In the last few months, Microsoft finalized its largest-ever acquisition of Activision for $68.7 billion. However, downsizing is also part of this story, with layoffs amounting to more than 8,000 workers only in the last 4-5 months.
So, with this backdrop, where is the gaming industry headed, and what will be the biggest gaming trends in 2024? Let’s answer this question below and understand how game art outsourcing studios can help developers.
Generative AI is making waves, and it's safe to bet that it'll be one of the biggest gaming trends 2024, too. It can help gaming companies develop characters to communicate with players without elaborate scripts. Moreover, they can change their tone, attributes, and behavior according to the gameplay situations.
Moreover, AI will play a critical role behind the scenes, catching glitches and bugs to help developer teams. They don't have to leave for home, eat food, or take rest. AI systems can generate dozens of maps and improve the photorealism of faces on digital characters.
At a recent event organized by Unity, developers explained the power of AI for generating behavior trees. Developers can simply enter prompts and generate content to save time and learn using complex tools without programmer support.
Everyone wants the digital world to look as close as possible to the real one, and mixed reality is making it possible. It combines various elements, such as graphical processing, display technologies, computer vision, and cloud computing.
Mixed reality lets players see the real world while interacting with digital elements, creating a highly engaging experience. It is gaining traction and is expected to be more popular in 2024 and beyond, thanks to the arrival of devices like Microsoft's HoloLens.
MR will also serve as a gateway to the Metaverse. While only Facebook has launched such an ambitious project, we can expect more companies to delve into this area. People access these virtual worlds with a dedicated headset, transported into a completely new world with games, markets, and new worlds they can build themselves. Because of this immersive experience, we can expect people who typically don't enjoy gaming to enjoy it.
VR will also witness an expanding fan base, especially for its hand-tracking capabilities. Using them, players can simulate their natural hand movements and gestures, making the whole experience more organic and interactive. Moreover, it helps people have a more intuitive experience, even if they're familiar with the usual gaming controls. Hence, VR can make gaming appeal to a wider audience where people don't have to follow a steep learning curve to enjoy gaming.
Things have changed drastically in this arena with the arrival of the Apple Vision Pro headset, dubbed the best consumer headset ever made. While that claim could be debatable, one cannot deny that Vision Pro holds exceptional capabilities, allowing you to use it all the time during any activity. It uses spatial computing, which allows you to move and resize apps in your virtual space. For instance, you could cook while watching a video floating above your sink that you can interact with effortlessly.
Vision Pro certainly isn't perfect, but it has a lot of promise and offers a sneak peek into the future of VR gaming in 2024 and beyond. You can become a part of adventurous gaming worlds where you complete quests, take down enemies, and solve puzzles. The possibilities with VR gaming are endless; developers can expect to push these boundaries even further.
We expect co-op game streaming trends to rise in 2024 and beyond. Survey results suggest that co-op gaming is even more popular than competitive multiplayer games, and developers will respond to this market signal. One reason why people preferred co-op gaming over competitive gaming was that they weren't comfortable with playing with strangers online. This is especially true for mobile gaming, occupying 22% of the app share.
Research suggests an appetite for developing social relations in gaming, helping players overcome feelings of isolation and despair, especially when things aren't going their way. It does come with a dose of stress and frustration, but it's still worth it for many players.
If you have observed children while they play games, games are much more for them than just pressing a few buttons and winning prizes. For them, it's about hanging out with their friends digitally and chatting with them from a distance. COVID-19 made these games more appealing; we expect the trend to reach new heights in 2024. These digital hangout games reduce the risk of kids chatting with strangers, as in multiplayer games. Kids can now host birthday parties in Roblox and watch concerts in Fortnite.
We can expect more kids' games that blend education and entertainment. For instance, developers can blend generative AI tools and voice recognition with gameplay schemes to help children learn entertainingly. Children can interact directly with NPCs, who could be scientists or explorers, teaching them about the wonders of the real world while offering various prizes. Moreover, children could interact directly with the game using their hands, bringing them a highly engaging experience.
Blockchain gaming simply means using blockchain technology in games to provide a more refined experience of in-game assets and economy. It is already becoming one of the biggest gaming trends popular among developers and players for the following reasons:
One of its biggest appeals is that blockchain will give players ownership of various game assets and items through NFTs. The fact that nothing like that has happened before makes this prospect pretty exciting and lucrative. Moreover, it'll allow players to sell those NFTs in secondary markets, creating a whole new aspect of the digital economy.
Blockchain technology has proven to be an excellent guarantor of security in the digital world, something that'll benefit the gaming arena, too. It prevents theft and duplication, which players are often concerned about. Moreover, developers can program an NFT with a limited supply, increasing its value and enhancing healthy competition among players.
The P2E model holds promise by offering players cryptocurrency or tokens for winning games. It can help players earn through games in a new way, especially for professional competitors for whom it could be the primary earning source. Moreover, it could promote a fair in-game economy with more effective minting, distribution, and pricing of assets.
The Metaverse has been hailed as the next great revolution in the digital world, with the potential to add trillions to the global economy by the 2030s. With its immersive 3D experiences, gamers can expect new game streaming trends to unfold.
Gaming companies have already started to envision a Metaverse future, including Roblox, Fortnite, Minecraft, and Runescape. Some people argue that the Metaverse already exists in the gaming world, as players interact with each other and digital assets inside the games. However, they're missing the point by overlooking the element of interoperability.
Interoperability is a flexible phenomenon that allows players to seamlessly travel between different worlds and access the Metaverse through various vendors. Roblox’s CEO, David Baszucki, has indicated that their company is already working on a Metaverse future. Of course, it won't be easy, but it's certainly a step in the right direction.
We have already touched upon how Apple's Vision Pro uses spatial computing to offer a new visual reality. The topic merits more detailed discussion by zooming out and looking at spatial computing as a whole.
Spatial computing promises to enhance the visual and auditory experience of games. Thanks to the development of advanced GPUs and spatial audio technology, gamers can now experience a life-like environment. Here is how it'll improve the gameplay experience:
Moreover, spatial computing will change how players interact with a gaming environment, responding in real-time to player actions. As a result, players feel a new level of connection with the previously unattainable game.
One of the most important things a game developer can do is connect with others in the industry and share a sense of community. The easiest way to build or become part of a game developer community today is by leveraging social media. You can reach out to both developers and gamers through social media, who can suggest improvements in your code, game art, gameplay mechanisms, interactive elements, assets, and whatnot. Who knows, some might even join you and make a team.
The feedback of players is critical for the following reasons:
Remember that game development isn't a one-off feat; it is a continuous endeavor that requires regular updates with player feedback. Take it as a multi-year project that includes both players and developers to offer something truly valuable and enjoyable.
Game development is becoming more complex with various interactive elements, and quality game art is integral to it. To develop game art that truly appeals to the audience, you need niche expertise offered by Cominted Labs. We are one of the leading game art outsourcing studios with 50+ collaborations with TCG World, Baby Doge, Perp Games, MadWorld, and more.
Since our inception, we have created thousands of 3D assets for games built on Unity and Unreal Engine. We believe in efficiency, reliability, and affordability, offering a combination that is hard to find elsewhere.
We invite you to book a demo with us and experience a new world of game art development.
