2021 has been an eventful year for the video game business, with indie game developers becoming more active and large game studios slowing down their game releases.
With new breakthroughs and emerging technologies, the gaming business is poised to take off in 2022.
According to GoNewsIndia, the video gaming business will be worth $196 billion by 2022.
According to Mordor Intelligence, the worldwide video game business will reach $314.40 billion in 2026.
It is easy to assume that the video game industry is expanding at a breakneck pace, including its position as one of the most profitable industries. The industry has surpassed all benchmarks, both commercially and technically.
Extended Reality (AR, VR, and MR), people’s preference for mobile gaming, and the emergence of streaming video games are all contributing to this huge increase in game production services.
☆ Gaming with augmented reality and virtual reality
The only possibilities for an immersive first-person video game experience are augmented and virtual reality gaming. After the debut of Pokemon Go, the popularity of augmented reality games exploded.
According to Industry ARC, the industry for augmented reality and virtual reality video games will be valued at $11.0 billion by 2026.
The growth rate is 18.5 percent from 2021 to 2026.
The integration of AR and VR solutions into mobile and wearable devices, as well as people’s fascination for immersive gaming experiences, are driving this growth.
The price of a VR headset will drop in the next few years, according to The Economist.
VR gaming equipment, such as VR headgear and hand controllers, allows players to enjoy an interactive gaming experience.
Rather than being completely immersed in a virtual reality game, AR overlays digital objects and sounds over the gamer’s real-world surroundings. The across-the-board usage of smartphones has benefited game developers in their use of augmented reality as a storytelling tool.
☆ Cross-Platform Gaming
Another trend that will determine the gaming ecosystem in 2022 is cross-platform gaming.
Developing games that can be recreated on a variety of systems and consoles have proven to be tough in the past.
Rising expenses and a lack of technology were the main reasons why games could not be played across platforms. Gamers will glimpse a ray of hope in 2021 when developers experiment with game codes in order to make cross-platform gaming a reality.
☆ Competitive Multiplayer Mobile Gaming
In the year 2020, competitive multiplayer mobile games have become a rage. With eSports becoming an international phenomenon and titles like PUBG Mobile acquiring significant popularity, multiplayer mobile gaming has shown to be a key trend for 2021.
Users are also kept engaged by multiplayer modes that provide social contact and a sense of accomplishment over other players. In order to stay in the game, more and more gamers are willing to pay for in-app purchases.
In 2022, gamers’ keenness for multiplayer video games is showing no signs of fading.
☆ Blockchain-Based Gaming
Blockchain has rewritten the rules by transforming gaming into an industry with a plethora of opportunities to explore. Blockchains use strong data encryption methods to prevent hackers from modifying or destroying an online transaction.
Blockchain video games have a huge commercial potential.
The whole worth of the Blockchain gaming industry was $175 billion in 2020, according to Newzoo, and is predicted to reach $218 billion by 2023.
Players will spend $168 billion on in-game purchases by 2023, according to Newzoo.
This method could improve gaming by making in-game purchases more secure.
Blockchains will equip players with more control as they migrate from Pay2Win to Play2Earn, in addition to providing developers with safer and newer terrain.
Furthermore, blockchain is a game-changing technology for creating and storing in-game assets. It was a major trend to keep an eye on in 2021! In 2022, it will be at the apex of the video game industry’s trend.
☆ Increased Number of Puzzle Games
The puzzle gaming genre has undergone a number of changes in recent years, ranging from minor to major. By 2025, the puzzle game genre will have reached its pinnacle.
Puzzle gaming is expected to reach $20,685 million in 2021. According to Statista, the puzzle video game segment’s total sales will reach $33,217 million by 2025.
The popularity of games like Homesacpes, Gardenscapes, and Candy Crush isn’t going away anytime soon. It will live for another few years.
☆ Hyper-Casual Games are Going to Rule
According to Sensor Tower’s Industry Trend report, hyper-casual video games will rule the video gaming landscape in 2020.
In nature, hyper-casual games are simple to play, allowing individuals to have fun and relax without focusing their intelligence.
India’s online gaming business, on the other hand, is expected to reach INR 187 billion by 2022, according to Advertising and Media Insider.
The global online gaming market is expected to increase at a CAGR of 11.9 percent by 2026, according to BusinessWire.
All of these market estimates and projections point to a massive increase in the hyper-casual video game segment by 2026.