Online gaming has been a favorite sport of millions over the decades, but its rise in 2020 and 2021 made us believe that the industry is more user-engaging and profitable than one can expect.
Much of this time was part of global pandemic so it forced people to stay at home, and there was no better way of entertainment than online gaming. Gaming platform like FirstGames by Paytm emphatically won the hearts of their players and made their presence strong in the online gaming industry. A popular online analytics platform stated, there were 390 million online gamers in India, and in billions in the rest of world.
The spike in the graph was not just about the increase in number of users, the global revenues of the industry also exploded at the same time. The global market generated revenues of an estimated $175.8bn, and experts have predicted that figure could reach $200bn and more by the end of 2023.
Figures don’t lie, and based on that, online gaming is all set to experience trends that would take the industry to the new heights of achievements and success. More and more players may be seen enjoying online gaming as well as game developers would focus on robust technologies to enhance user experience.
Now a question arises, what could be the trends that will rule the online gaming industry in 2023? Let’s see them below-
Online Ecosystems and The Metaverse
Metaverse is in headlines nowadays, and it could be the hottest trends in the online gaming in 2023. Ever since Facebook (Now Meta) promoted this concept, the online gaming industry has been buzzing over the scenarios for metaverse.
This all is happening despite the fact, it is still very early to figure out the world of metaverse, be it the development cycle, or features to be added. However, this new face for our online lives appears to be set as a defining feature of online gaming in 2023.
It won’t be surprising if we see companies invest more and more effort and money in developing customer-driven program that would entice to spend more time in their online metaverse. We may also see immense competition where top online casinos to traditional online gaming companies will be trying their hands.
Mobile Gaming is the Future
To be noted more precisely, mobile gaming contributed more than half of overall global revenues i.e., $175.8bn generated by gaming firms in 2021. By far, this happens to be the biggest segment of the global gaming market, and what the gaming of the industry might look like.
Mobile gaming also got a huge boost in India, and according to the report by EY and FICCI, which claims that the number of mobile gaming players rise from 80 million in 2020 to 95 million in 2021, almost 20% rise. Among various mobile games, rummy was one of the most played games, and we can see gaming companies bringing more and more rummy games into the action. First Games also provides its easy-to-play online gaming platform for rummy lovers.
If you love playing online rummy, you must choose from the best rummy app where you won’t only enjoy playing, but also win exciting prizes.
Cloud Streaming Devices
Cloud service providers are a significant hardware development that is anticipated to shape the online gaming market in 2023 and beyond.
Players essentially stream compressed videos directly from servers when using cloud gaming services, which provide content from the cloud to a gaming device. The responsiveness is almost identical to playing from a local copy of the game, interactions take place in a fraction of a second.
Although they have been slowed down by the advancement of mobile internet technologies, companies like Microsoft, Steam, Amazon, and Google have been at the vanguard of this shift towards cloud streaming services for some time. But when fibre broadband and 5G mobile internet become more widely available, the technological constraints will gradually start to disappear.
This is the reason why many companies are investing more and more money in creating these services, with streaming giant like Netflix long speculated to make their entry.
Cloud streaming could transform the industry as it will do away with the requirement for game development lifecycles to be tied to hardware cycles. Video game developers will no longer be limited by aging technology if hardware manufacturers have been slow to release the next generation of consoles. For online gaming and esports fans, this means that the costs of acquiring a console will be less prohibitive.
The industry may undergo a revolution because of cloud streaming, which would eliminate the dependence of game development lifecycles on hardware cycles. If console makers have been delayed providing the following generation of hardware, video game creators won’t be constrained by outdated hardware any longer. This implies that the price of buying a console will be less prohibitive for lovers of online gaming and esports.
These three online gaming trends are certainly going to rock in 2023 and may be beyond. Skyrocketing online gaming industry can only be possible in the era of technology, when creators make it simple to play, easy to access, and modest to understand the gaming architecture. First Games would be ideating the same kind of approach for its gaming platform.