Melior Games is closely following trends for the video gaming industry and we constantly share our impressions and forecasts on our blog. Last year we wrote about the video game dev trends for 2019.
One of the trends in the gaming field of 2020 is the invasion of small manufacturers in the field of mobile games. You can also note the growing popularity of hyper-casual games. Profitable growth is also expected to be significant in the field of “ordinary” computer games (largely, thanks to China).
Here are the trends in video games: in 2019, the global market for all video games (console, PC, mobile, etc.) reached $148.8 billion. The experts expected a jump by 30% in 2020. Given the coronavirus pandemic, the forecasts have been corrected because millions of people don’t want to go out at all, replacing malls and cafes with virtual entertainment.
Console Sales Will Continue to Fall, at Least Until the Launch of a New Generation
During 2019, sales of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One fell due to several factors. Platforms approached the end of their cycles, a telling fact being that the demand for the popular game Fortnite dropped.
The popularity of Fortnite in 2018 led to the emergence of a significant number of new players, which contributed to the growth of sales of consoles and games.
While Switch’s excellent sales were able to balance the overall fall in 2019, these video gaming trends are not likely to continue this year. Sales of all consoles are going to decline throughout 2020.
Sales of accessories and games are also expected to decline during this period, at least until the announcement of the Xbox Series X and Sony Playstation 5.
Read about some interesting facts about video gaming
Subscriptions Will Begin to Change the Consumer`s Habits
Many games that were the first participants of subscription services experienced sales growth outside the services themselves, probably (or at least partially), because subscribers suggested the games they played to friends.
However, this may change, because subscribers will no longer offer their friends to buy a game, but advise them to simply subscribe to the service itself.
It is possible that we will face a significant change from the purchase of a game to gaining access to the game by subscription if it is available in the service from the first day of release.
Despite Slower Sales, Switch Will Remain the Market Leader for Consoles
Nintendo Switch will continue to be in great demand in 2020. Despite forecasts that console sales would decline in 2020, it looks like this video gaming trend will continue and the Nintendo Switch will remain the leader in the console market, possibly until 2022.
VR Market Is Finally Starting to Come to Life
Oculus Quest sales growth, the release of Half-Life: Alyx, and investments in marketing and PSVR content in connection with the launch of the PlayStation 5 should finally significantly increase the popularity of VR.
Given the state of the segment over the past few years, the state of the VR market in 2020 will look, at least, encouraging.
Mobile Hit: A Gaming Industry Trend
The unprecedented spread around the world (including the poorest countries) of powerful smartphones with fast processors, a large-high-quality screen and RAM has contributed to the fact that the giants of the IT industry began to invest billions of dollars in the field of mobile games. Thus, the maximum market growth of 46% has been recorded here.
Another trend in video games is that small companies began to “show their teeth” to software giants. A good example is the most popular (almost cult) game Fortnite, which has been deleted from the Google Play Store by its copyright holder – the Epic Games company. Now it is hosted on the company’s own store, where it costs much cheaper than in Apple and Google stores (the fee in the company store is only 12%).
Finally, the launch of the Apple Arcade game service, which provides the buyer with access to a huge number of games for a small fixed fee, is an absolute hit. These are the most obvious trends of the 2020th gaming world. With Melior Games you will always be aware of all the latest news, forecasts, and video gaming trends.
