Gaming Trends 2024
As a top outsourcer for player support and gaming content moderation, we always have at least one eye trained on industry trends. One of our favorites is Newzoo’s top 5 games market predictions for 2024.
The topline prediction is that the global games market will rebound in 2024 after growing only slightly (0.5%) in 2023 to 183.9B, according to their 2023 report.
While growth will undoubtedly come from many games and platforms, the article highlights some of the larger trends. The rebound will be driven by the Xbox Series and Playstation 5 attracting more users. A possible Nintendo release of the Switch 2 could give the industry a bump. The Microsoft Xbox mobile gaming store will also increase growth.
When it came to their predictions about AI, Newzoo took a decidedly hype-free view:
Generative AI tools will help speed up the production process a bit in 2024 and potentially cut costs in unpredictable ways, but we’re probably not going to see AI completely revolutionize the industry at scale this year.
We consulted our in-house gaming industry expert and CXO, Rich Weil, for his thoughts.
Rich: Great article. It’s always fun to prognosticate, and I think the good folks at Newzoo have hit pretty close to the mark on their points.
The global games market will definitely see a significant rebound in 2024, and a big part of that is going to be the resurgence of the pipeline. Many gaming companies pushed out as much as they possibly could during and immediately after the pandemic, and we are going to see the “reloading” effect sooner rather than later.
Everyone is talking about AI, and the gaming industry is no different. But how will it affect this industry?
Rich: I also believe that AI and AI tools will certainly change things in quite a few ways, but I agree with Newzoo again that expectations should be managed. We all have seen new technology get overhyped. At ModSquad, we have developed expertise in generation after generation of technology tools that do everything from automatic translations to sentiment analysis to straightforward ticket / chat / phone contact management and more. It’s important to remember that these tools must prove themselves before companies will trust them with their players’ concerns.
I know for a fact that we’re going to see AI affect all of that, and we’re tracking it already, but the tools are going to have to prove themselves before companies will trust them with their players’ concerns.
What about you? What are you looking forward to in 2024?
Rich: I’m really excited to see the amazing pipeline of games that we have coming out over the next year. In particular, I’ll be keeping a close eye on Stormgate, which is a potential heir apparent to Starcraft, as well as EA College Football, which is fun to see back after a long hiatus. Happy gaming to everyone!