Significant changes in the gaming world happened this year.
Some of the biggest gaming trends involve virtual reality (VR) and esports.
VR gaming uses headsets, which grew due to franchises like Grand Theft Auto utilizing this technology in rebooting the classic San Andreas title.
Games have also evolved to incorporate professional sports aspects such as live audiences and leagues.
In fact, esports is now touted as an official sport in major events like the 2022 Asian Games.
However, VR is just a fraction of the innovation occurring in the gaming sphere.
Let’s look at 2023’s online gaming trends and note which ones investors like yourself should keep a close eye on.
Stronger Blockchain Presence
The blockchain originally allowed the finance industry to make transactions without the need for a centralized authority.
However, it has embedded itself into the online gaming world to improve it. One game that uses the blockchain is Decentraland.
It’s an online game where players can buy and sell digital land and play games with others.
Decentraland uses the blockchain to verify players’ land ownership information and provides incentives to play games.
Poker is one game that benefits from these incentives the most. There’s a train of thought that even suggests the online game could become more deregulated because of the use of cryptocurrency in poker.
The safer nature of blockchain means there’s a belief that cryptocurrency could lead to additional consumer trust, and less stringent rules on where and how it can be played.
Today, the blockchain brings that innovation even further by making poker more exciting to play online.
Decentraland offers poker chips as non-fungible tokens that players acquire through wearables. This offers a unique experience that players can’t get anywhere else.
Better Cloud Gaming Experiences
Cloud gaming allows people to play games seamlessly across different devices without taking up storage.
While this is not new, it’s gaining attention because it makes games more accessible to players with low-end devices and limited device storage.
Steam is one company that is successfully meeting the demand for cloud gaming through Steam Cloud Play.
This permits games and platforms to use Steam’s cloud storage for “hosting” their games and gaming data.
This gives players more options on where they wish to play games like 39 Days to Mars.
On top of this, the company supplies gift cards that players can use to redeem credit on the platform. Overall, cloud gaming is becoming popular for improving gaming access.
Increasing popularity of indie Games
Despite their humble origins, indie games are seeing a growth that will likely last until next year.
Over 17% of gamers are playing indie games as of March this year, in contrast to 13% in 2021.
One factor that chipped in this growth involves the game engines Unity and Unreal. These make game development more accessible by providing tools for developers.
Such access further allowed indie creators to thrive.
One indie game rising in popularity is OlliOlli World. It’s a skateboarding game where players meet fun and mystical characters as they search for Gnarvana.
Investors can expect to hit the jackpot when they fund independent gaming developers.
More immersive Metaverse Games
The metaverse lets users navigate, explore, and interact with a virtual world that mimics the real world through technologies like VR.
This makes for countless attractions like parties, activities, and product launches that people, especially gamers, can enjoy.
With these endless possibilities in the metaverse, game developers can go all-in on creating immersive experiences.
For instance, Bloktopia is an upcoming metaverse casino project set to release by the end of the year.
It’s a 21-story virtual building that offers different experiences per floor, one of which is a casino gaming floor with potential games like poker and blackjack.
Virtual spaces such as this building make games more immersive by allowing players to feel like they’re part of the virtual world.
Investors must look out for these upcoming trends as 2023 nears.
They won’t regret supporting these companies, products, and developers when they reap the benefits next year.