How the most influential games of 2022 will change gaming in 2023

While we all have our favorite games we played in 2022, let’s do something different. 2022 was a year of change in the gaming industry. The pandemic era seems to be in the rearview mirror, crypto crashed and new business practices like subscriptions are coming of age. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the titles that will most impact gaming in 2023 and beyond.

Marvel Snap & Diablo Immortal – mobile money making

2022 gave us a little glimpse into the future of gaming monetization in 2023, particularly on mobile. Both Marvel Snap and Diablo Immortal released this year with completely opposite monetization strategies.

Marvel Snap positioned itself as a consumer-friendly digital card game. Unlike competitors, cards are not locked behind opening packs. Instead, progression is largely driven by improving the quality (and art) of your existing collection, while taking a cosmetics-based approach to monetization. Although the game was released about two months ago, it has already been cleared $10 million in worldwide revenue – a major achievement for a game in a lesser-played genre.

In comparison, fans can agree that Diablo Immortal is fun to play, but monetization via pay-to-win was controversial to say the least. Through the math of one YouTuber, it can cost over $100,000 to have a fully upgraded character. Despite this controversy, the game deserved it $100 million in about two months. Only Pokémon Go has reached 9-figure sales faster. At the end of 2022, it was the third highest-grossing mobile game of the year.

Marvel Snap has built a community that could make it one forever franchise with the associated income. Meanwhile, Diablo Immortal optimized spending. If Marvel Snap can turn the corner, it could have a major impact on the entire industry. If not, I expect more games to be borrowed from Diablo Immortal or Genshin Impacts Playbook.

Sorare – blockchain gaming in 2023

Blockchain gaming and play-to-earn titles have attracted millions of players and billions in investment over the past few years. However, the crypto winter of 2022 hit the market hard. In 2023, blockchain games will have to prove they have staying power and the potential for mass adoption.

Enter Sorare, a sports game where players can buy, sell and trade NFTs from digital player cards to build a fantasy team. The French development team opted to start with soccer and recently added NBA and MLB support. Although the title is not necessarily new in 2022, it gained traction after the crypto winter.

Sorare will draw comparisons to NBA Top Shot, but it’s definitely repeated on the sports NFT collection model. Sorare appeals to more fans, has a better stepping stone for new users and the added gameplay will give the title more stamina.

Perhaps more importantly, the game has also defied the boom-and-bust cycle of block chain gaming.

Sorare has steadily gained popularity over time. These days, Sorare is much more searched for than NBA Top Shot. Will this quieter, more sustainable strategy work? The industry will get more answers next year.

Wordle — Games for non-gaming subscriptions

Wordle may not be the flashiest or most complicated of games, but its success is undeniable. The game peaked in popularity early in the year, but it has maintained a healthy interest among the general public. In fact, Wordle was 2022’s most wanted term on Google.

One of the reasons Wordle has spread to date has been its built-in sharing feature. With a simple copy and paste operation, users could compare results without spoilers and let people figure out where all those emoji block grids came from.

In January, the New York Times bought the game from its developer for a price in thelow seven figures.The paper’s coverage of the purchase highlights how important games are to reaching the paper’s goal of 10 million subscribers by the end of 2025.

In an era where engagement and attention mean everything to businesses, it’s becoming increasingly clear that games can drive this repeat engagement for other subscription services. Netflix’s foray into gaming is the other obvious example. If companies want to keep users subscribed – especially when discretionary spending is low – I expect more companies to follow the lead of the NY Times and focus on gaming to keep users in 2023.

High on Life – AI and the Netflix effect

High on Life is a mix of comedy, Metroidvania style exploration and FPS combat. Although the game was one of the last releases of 2022, it has quickly left a lasting impact.

On the more controversial side, Justin Roiland, co-founder and CEO of Squanch Games and co-creator of Rick and Morty, confirmed that High on Life used AI tools in its production. The team used Midjourney AI to create alien paintings as a finishing touch to the game’s alien setting. AI was also used to prototype some of the voiceovers, with a small role with an AI voice making the final version.

“I don’t know what the future holds, but AI is becoming a tool that can make content creation incredibly accessible,” Roiland said in an interview with sky news. In 2023, the gaming industry will likely see more titles following High on Life.

In addition, High on Life is now the most successful poster child for Xbox game pass. The title was the largest release on the service in 2022. Perhaps more importantly, High on Life is the largest third-party launch in Game Pass history and also the largest single-player game launch on Game Pass.

High on Life’s hugely successful launch of the service helps prove that Microsoft’s intended business model works for more than AAA multiplayer games. Like Netflix, Game Pass has shown that it can introduce a growing number of players to new games simply because they are included in the monthly subscription fee. It is likely that more AA and smaller studios will look to High on Life’s success as a marketing strategy for their own titles.

BGMI, Call of Duty and Fortnite – Governments and games

In 2022, governments around the world took note of the power and influence of gaming. The first steps to this – like China restricting video game approvals and playtime for minors – took place years ago. However, this industry spotlight came to full effect this year.

India has made big strides to tackle one of the country’s most popular titles: Battlegrounds Mobile India. PUBG Mobile wash forbidden in addition to several other apps published by Chinese companies. Later, Krafton released the country-specific version in 2021 to address these data privacy concerns. This year, BGMI was banned again for the same concerns about national security. With growing bipartisan support for a TikTok ban in the USwe could see prohibitions spreading.

The US is also looking closer at regulating the gaming industry. With Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard looming, the Federal Trade Commission (among other regulators) is scrutinizing industry consolidation. This deal has also made Call of Duty the proverbial baby that Microsoft and Sony want to split.

The FTC flexes muscles in other ways. Last week, the FTC fined Epic Games $520 million for child privacy violations and deceptive business practices. This fine was the largest in history for the commission.

In addition, the European Union is also looking at regulations and investments in games and esports. Part of the EU’s motivation for this was “to contribute to the soft power of the EUand promote European values. More broadly, the governing body sets itself up as the global regulator for the tech industry. This can have major consequences for hardware, app stores and more.

The industry has to grapple with games being used as political tools. Whether it’s data privacy and national security, regulatory or investment concerns, the relationships between gaming companies and governments are changing. Statements on the deal between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard are expected in early 2023, but gaming companies should consider how additional regulation and oversight may affect future plans.