Neural networks, NFT and the revival of legendary stories: the main gaming trends of 2022

1. Games-services

Access to computer games by subscription (GaaS) is not a very new, but rather popular method of monetization now, convenient for both players and publishers. Instead of buying an expensive release once, the player pays a relatively small amount while the game is interesting to him. And this, by the way, motivates developers to develop the story, and not just fix bugs.

In this format, the player, first of all, pays for new content. This can be not only a permanent subscription, but also a seasonal pass, access to individual adventures or events, as well as microtransactions - the purchase of in-game items and resources.

GaaS was pioneered by Activision Blizzard - in 2004, the studio opened paid access to World of Warcraft. Popular service games today are Dota 2, Rocket League, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege and Fortnite.

2. Neural networks and artificial intelligence

Opponents in games are becoming more intelligent and unpredictable. They learn along the way, get to know the player and make it more interesting for him to fight. These are no longer those dumb bots that could get stuck in a corner or walk the same routes.

Today, gamers don't just go through level after level to reach the final. Much more valuable are emotional rewards - the ability to defeat a difficult opponent, cope with an obscure mystery, or find out what the player is capable of. In addition, the credibility of the game events and their variability are important so that you can play the scene over and over again in different conditions.

Such opportunities are provided by artificial intelligence, and the main technology for its implementation is neural networks. They contain thousands of parameters, learn on the fly, exhibit increasingly complex behaviors, and challenge the player.

Artificial intelligence is interestingly implemented in the games TES IV: Oblivion, S.T.A.L.K.E.R., ECHO and the Deus Ex series. It is very difficult to predict the behavior of the game world here, so the story opens with a new one every time sides.

3. Free-to-play competitive shooters

Free-to-play is a popular monetization model where you can download and interact with the game for free, but the money opens up new opportunities. And this gives rise to endless holivars about whether to donate or not, because after buying top armor, elixirs and artifacts, it becomes much easier to overcome an enemy or a boss.

The free-to-play model is used in many popular multiplayer online games: CS: GO, Fortnite, Call of Duty, Apex Legends, Rainbow Six Siege, Halo, Battlefield, Valorant. In 2022, it will surely develop so that players can get even more interesting opportunities, and developers can attract additional funds.

4. Subscription to game catalogs

In 2022, gamers will also take on subscriptions to game catalogs. These services are usually cheaper than paying for access to several of your favorite games separately.

An example of such a subscription is Xbox Game Pass. No console needed - the service opens up new possibilities for PC gamers. The subscription includes over a hundred games, including Mortal Kombat 11, Firewatch, Halo Infinite, and soon Total War: WARHAMMER III and Shredders will join the collection.

5. Improving content quality

The capabilities of computers are growing - and the content in games is improving. This also applies to graphics, and the size of locations, and the number of players that can be simultaneously present inside the scene.

Modern games can already be run in 4K resolution (3840 x 2160 pixels or so). And at the presentation of the RTX 3000 series video cards, NVIDIA showedThe New Pinnacle: 8K HDR Gaming Is Here With The GeForce RTX 3090 / NVIDIA Ultra Performance Mode for 8K gaming. In a year or two, it will be available to a significant portion of gamers, the only question is the cost of the equipment.

6. Socialization

With the transition of the world to a remote location, the amount of live communication among people has decreased. This is reflected in the gaming industry: social elements in games are becoming more important, and developers understand the importance of comfortable communication between players, so they will develop the corresponding functions. Partying in 2022Introducing Parties to Fortnite / Epic Games will become even more popular in Fortnite and other games - this is the ability to communicate with friends regardless of whether the borders are open.

Gaming platforms like Roblox are also pushing social features. They are available even for preschoolers - and, by the way, help to learn English, because users from different countries usually choose this language for communication.

7. Fashionable things from the real world

Expensive skins have not gone anywhere. But now in games you can also buy trendy sneakers and even try them out. Fortnite createdJumpman Zone and Air Jordan XI Cool Gray Sneakers Appear To Fortnite / Epic Games a special challenge in the Jumpman zone - you need to find sneakers and perform a masterful super throw on a basketball hoop.

Connected to the trendGucci designed virtual sneakers for hypebeasts in Roblox and VRChat / The Verge even the fashion house Gucci, and Nike announcedNike Creates NIKELAND on Roblox / Nike News about the creation of the metaverse in the Roblox game. More such integrations are expected in 2022, which will surely delight both game fans and fans of famous fashion brands.

8. NFT games

The term NFT has becomeNFT beats cheugy to be Collins Dictionary's word of the year / The Guardian word of 2021 according to HarperCollins. In the gaming industry, these tokens also left their mark.

What is NFT? The acronym stands for non-fungible token. In fact, this is a unique electronic certificate that gives the right to own a digital asset - for example, the first recordThe Birth of Wikipedia / Christie's on Wikipedia or collage Everydays: The First 5 000 Days by artist Beeple, who sold in March 2021Everydays: The First 5,000 Days / Christie's for 69 million US dollars.

NFT games combine competitive mechanics and collecting unique items or creatures that are represented by non-fungible tokens. Some of the most popular now are Axie Infinity, Town Star, Splinterlands. And in 2017, the CryptoKitties game made a lot of noise: in it you can buy and raise digital kittens, represented by NFT-tokens, cross them and get offspring - including very rare individuals that cost thousands of dollars.

9. The return of cult stories

In 2022, PC gamers will have an especially large number of cool titles - both familiar and new. First of all, this is Elden Ring, which was co-written by George Martin - the release is plannedElden Ring / Steam on February 24th. Also expectedS.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl / S.T.A.L.K.E.R. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 (April 28) & StarfieldStarfield / Bethesda (11th of November). Redfall is planned for releaseRedfall / Bethesda summer, and Kerbal Space Program 2 promiseKerbal Space Program 2 / Steam release before the end of the year.

The first S.T.A.L.K.E.R., recall, was released in 2007. The second part will receiveS.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: HEART OF CHERNOBYL the First AAA Game to Allow the Community to Own a Piece of the Action / PRNewswire NFT-tokens of game items and characters, as well as provide the opportunity to become a "metahuman" - to appear in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 as one of the NPCs.

10. Powerful indie games

Indie is short for independent. Indie games are created by small studios that prefer to do both development and production on their own, without involving large publishers.

Indies are used to being treated like the original creations of a small group of enthusiasts. But today the scale of indie is often much larger, and ready-made tools allow you to develop potentially commercially successful projects relatively quickly.

Among the most anticipated indie releases of 2022 is Somerville, developed by the studio of Playdead co-founder Limbo and Inside. And also Songs Of Conquest in the spirit of the cult Heroes of Might and Magic III or Age of Wonders. In addition, the planned release of Two Point Campus, Wizard with a Gun, The Invincible, Death Trash - these games were presented at E3 and received positive reviews from critics.