Boil It Down Gaming's 2022 gaming predictions
This special edition story about my gaming predictions for 2022, boiled down, in 5:30 minutes.
Last year, I made 5 predictions on what would happen to the gaming industry in 2021 and let's just say my crystal ball didn't do too badly. With the year wrapping up in a few days, it's time to predict what will go down in gaming in the new year.
5. Will metaverse and crypto gaming become mainstream?
What's the fuss?
The idea of the metaverse, in conjunction with cryptocurrency, has become a mainstream concept with gaming already headed in that direction.
The situation
Play-to-earn games, such as Axie Infinity, brings forth a unique value proposition by prospectively allowing gamers to become wealthier by playing them.
- Within these titles, players can earn (or purchase) NFTs to use in game with the hope of attaining "more valuable" NFTs that can be later sold on crypto marketplaces.
This play-to-earn concept peeked its head this year within the mainstream video game industry, but retracted back underground soon after.
- A number of NFT-related projects this year, such as Ubisoft Quartz, were met with such intense backlash that some were swiftly cancelled.
- The fact is that gamers do not want to be nickel-and-dimed for the things they want in-game and dislike having their communities full of speculators and/or currency farmers who only care about monetary gain.
My opinion for 2022
Metaverse and crypto/NFT gaming will remain within its own small subgenre and will not reach mass adoption in mainstream gaming in 2022.
4. Will we see a mid-cycle console upgrade for Xbox or PlayStation?
What's the fuss?
Modern video game consoles have seen incremental upgrades to improve the console's longevity before the next generation releases.
The situation
When you purchase a video game console upon release, chances are that a slightly upgraded version of that console would release a few years later.
- Back in the pre-2010s, these upgrades would really only consist of making the same console smaller or having enhanced storage space.
Nowadays, these incremental upgrades can include significant hardware enhancements to make the existing system more powerful before the release of the next generation of consoles.
- Since the last generation of consoles came out in 2013 (Xbox One and PlayStation 4), upgraded versions became available for purchase in 2016 (Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro) which allowed for better game performance.
- The newest generation of consoles that released last year (Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5) have not yet seen such upgraded versions.
My opinion for 2022
We will not see a mid-cycle console upgrade in 2022 for the newest generation of consoles, especially with current supply chain issues forgoing the chance of gamers getting their hands on the original versions.
3. Will battle royale games continue to dominate the industry?
What's the fuss?
The battle royale concept, where players fight it out within a shrinking battlefield to be the last one standing, has been a non-stop hit for gamers and viewers alike.
The situation
Although the precursor of battle royale games existed in traditional multiplayer game modes such as in King of the Hill, the genre really hit its stride with the genesis of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) in 2013.
- At the time, the high-stakes gameplay of battle royale was revolutionary and immediately addictive.
- The battle royale concept has since turned into its own genre pulling in millions of players, billions of viewership hours, and heap loads of money.
Although battle royales remain popular player-wise and viewership-wise, growing murmurs citing boredom with the genre are gradually becoming louder.
- The space has become saturated as mega franchises like Call of Duty have hopped on the battle royale train, which in turn have shown contempt for its players.
- Frustrated streamers have also begun to move along, skewing top viewership towards other types of games such as Grand Theft Auto and Valorant.
My opinion for 2022
The battle royale trend will never die, but will ebb as other types of games flock to the limelight this year.
2. Will we get a Grand Theft Auto 6 announcement?
What's the fuss?
We've been waiting for Grand Theft Auto 6 for over 8 years now and haven't heard anything about it since.
The situation
Grand Theft Auto 5 (GTA 5) is the most successful entertainment property of all time with multiple billions of earned revenue over its 8 year tenure.
- This success is largely in part to the game's online mode, GTA Online, where gamers can live out their craziest fantasies in a virtual city with others around the world.
- Despite its age, GTA 5 is consistently the most watched game on Twitch with hundreds of thousands of concurrent viewers.
Historically, a new mainline Grand Theft Auto game comes out every 2 - 4 years.
- With not even a fleeting mention of Grand Theft Auto 6 by the game's developer, many believe that they are prioritizing their cash cow GTA Online instead.
My opinion for 2022
Sorry folks, no Grand Theft Auto 6 announcement in 2022 - only new GTA Online content.
1. Will Halo esports take over the competitive arena shooter scene once more?
What's the fuss?
Before esports was even a "thing", Halo was at one point the most popular competitive video game and is often credited as the pioneer that brought esports into the mainstream.
The situation
After years of dormancy, the legendary Halo franchise returned in a big way this year with the latest game in the series Halo Infinite.
- Upon its release, the game received critical acclaim for both its story and multiplayer modes (for the most part).
With the release of the game came the return of Halo's official esports league.
- Despite this being Halo's first official major tournament in over 3 years, it became the most viewed Halo tournament on its first day with over 150,000 concurrent viewers on Twitch alone.
- Although Halo's return to form is thanks to how polished the game is, it's also derivative that its greatest competition has undergone some severe missteps.
My opinion for 2022
Competitive Halo will overtake Call of Duty as the most popular arena shooter esport in 2022.
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