4 Gaming Trends 2021
Every year there are always different trends that will create a great impact on the gaming industry. With new and upgraded Playstations and X-boxes being released periodically. The latest that have launched are the PS5 which sold 8.6 million consoles and Xbox series X which has sold 5.8 million. These gaming consoles offer the latest up-to-date gaming consoles and the highest quality gaming experience available. So, it’s no wonder that everyone’s eager to get their hands on one. And we can expect new releases in around 4-5 years too, exciting stuff! Here are some of the latest trends that we can expect the gaming industry to be keeping an eye on…
1. Cloud gaming services are continuously growing and expanding
For those who aren’t familiar with the term ‘cloud gaming’, it’s essentially playing a game remotely from a cloud. It means you can run video games from remote servers and also stream them onto devices. Some people will refer to cloud gaming as ‘gaming on demand’ too.
Statistics show that a huge increase in interest in cloud gaming in 2021. This is undoubtedly due to the increase of titles added to the ever-expanding game catalogue. With thousands and thousands of games to choose from the possibilities really are endless. You can guarantee that you’ll find a game type to match your gaming preferences.
Cloud gaming essentially takes out the process of downloading games which we all know can take incredibly long. Instead, you can simply stream it in real-time. You can play the games almost instantly so it’s no surprise that the popularity of cloud gaming is increasing rapidly. Consoles that support cloud gaming include PlayStation 4, Xbox One. PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, WII U and many more. Also, it was voted in 2021 that GeForce Now is the best service that offers cloud gaming!
2. A rise in popularity of indie games
Indie games are independent video games that are typically created by smaller development teams or individuals. This means they don’t have the financial or technological support of big gaming companies. People often mistake indie games for being a genre of games but this is not the case. Rather it is a characteristic of the conditions for their creation. Essentially it is games created by independent developers that are the entrepreneurs of the gaming industry.
The best indie game platforms to publish your indie game include Roblox, Steam, GOG, Itch.io, Games Gate and Game Jolt. Reblox is the most popular platforrm and has a 150 million monthly active users. This is no surprise because Reblox helps independent game creators to create and distribute games on a single platform.
There are many extremely popular indie games titles to check out right now. These include Valheim, Stray, Sable, Garden Story, Tunic, Loop Hero, Maquette, Cyber Shadow, Solar Ash, Little Nightmares II and so many more. But Stardw Vallie is the all-time best indie selling game!
3. Increase in female gamers
It’s no big secret that the majority of games are male and game producers predominately cater to this gender. This is undoubtedly down to the fact that the things that interest men are easier to implement into video games. Such as sports games, action, battle, racing, shooting and more (not to say some females don’t love these types of games too). But it’s also because a huge 80% of people that work in the gaming industry are male. However, in recent years, statistics show that there is a huge increase in female gamers. In 2010 statistics showed that 60% of gamers were male and 40% female. And in 2020 it is estimated that at least 46% of gamers are female. A significant change that is nearly approaching 50/50.
Despite the fact the gaming industry is still male-dominated, gaming producers are starting to release games aimed at female gamers. Such as the series of animal crossing games! Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the fifth addition to the series and was released in 2020 solely for Nintendo or Nintendo Switch. After this game release, the number of female gamers increased significantly.
Games aimed at a female audience will usually include a female protagonist. Such as The Last Part of us II which was one of the biggest releases in 2020. There are also more women than ever working in the gaming industry so it’s no surprise that the female gamers figure is growing! The top 5 most popular video games amongst women include Ark, Animal Crossing, Pokemon Go, Grand Theft Auto, Sims 4 and Minecraft.
4. An increase in remakes and reboots
Gaming providers are starting to make remakes and reboots of old games because of their great popularity amongst gamers. They tweak, polish and use the latest technologies to give life and upgrade previously popular games. Old-School games are being released with ultra-modern gameplay and features. As well as top-quality 3D graphics, animations and sound effects.
Does anyone remember the Crash Bandicoot video game series? It was made exclusively for Sony’s PlayStation console but was quickly installed by many different developers for different platforms. This was because of its great popularity amongst gamers. Crash Bandicoot: On the Run! was released in 2021 and is one of the top-selling games of 2021! So it’s no surprise that game developers are taking note and starting to make remakes and reboots of popular games of the past. With updated technology and advances of course!
Popular remakes of games include Final Fantasy VII remake, Resident Evil 2, The Legend of Zelda Link’s Awakening, Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver and Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes. But there are so many! They breathe new life into a franchise that people already know and love. Gaming producers have started to realise that remakes and reboots sell extremely well so it’s no surprise that they are all releasing them. It’s also appealing to game providers because there is much less risk than producing a completely new franchise. If previous sales of the game have been huge then it’s almost guaranteed the new updated versions of the games will be too.