This page was generated automatically; to view the article in its initial location, you may visit the link below:
https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/the-gaming-stories-and-trends-that-defined-2024
If you wish to have this article removed from our website, please reach out to us
What an incredible year.
I doubt I’m the only one stating that 2024 has been a lot, filled with extraordinary games and remarkable news intermixed with frustrations and failures. We witnessed developers achieving remarkable feats, crafting amazing experiences that will help to define this decade. Unfortunately, we also witnessed widespread cuts, layoffs, and shortsighted decisions, the true consequences of which will not be fully understood for years.
With the holidays upon us, as I take a break to read, paint my miniatures, and perhaps enjoy a game or two, I wanted to reflect on some of the key stories that have shaped this year, pondering genuinely unusual circumstances, cautionary lessons, trends, and even a glimmer of hope for the future.
Here are five of the most captivating stories that characterized the gaming industry throughout 2024:
5. Black hole games have a firm hold on players’ time
Mat Piscatella, executive director and analyst at Circana, reliably provides insights into the most-played games, monitoring player engagement through charts he regularly publishes. Analyzing the platform charts week after week, month after month, I’ve observed something rather intriguing: the games on these charts remain static. Not really moving at all. Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, Minecraft…these “black hole” titles are consuming most of the player engagement, with minimal fluctuation. Occasionally, a new game may momentarily surface, only to vanish one or two weeks later.
This is not to suggest that nothing fresh can prosper — NetEase Games’ free-to-play hero shooter Marvel Rivals has made a strong debut, while PlayStation and Arrowhead Game Studios’ Helldivers 2 continues to attract significant player interest following a recent update — but these live-service successes are the exception rather than the norm.
Personally, I don’t think there’s a straightforward path to navigate right now, but developers and publishers need to recognize the evolving habits of players. It’s becoming exceedingly difficult for many games to demand $70 in the U.S. when the majority of players prefer to engage with free-to-play options.
4. Xbox adopts multiplatform launches
After successfully concluding the massive acquisition of Activision Blizzard King, Microsoft kicked off 2024 with a more multiplatform strategy. The company launched four former Xbox console exclusives on PlayStation and Nintendo platforms, including Rare’s Sea of Thieves. In 2025, a port of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is set to be released on PlayStation 5, along with the day one multiplatform launch of titles like Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds 2 and more.
To clarify and be fair, Microsoft has technically been a multiplatform publisher for a considerable time, distributing Minecraft across nearly every device imaginable. The company also pledged to keep Call of Duty available everywhere as it sought regulations approval to acquire Activision. Nonetheless, this is the same organization that vocally promised to maintain games like Bethesda’s Starfield as exclusives for Xbox.
There are evident reasons for this shift (as Xbox integrates more deeply within Microsoft, the latter demands greater margins), but I believe we have yet to see the entire situation unfold. The readiness to distribute an increasing amount of software across more platforms demonstrates a distinct change in strategy, and I’m curious to see how this evolves in 2025 and beyond.
3. PlayStation’s Concord launched, and now it seems like it never existed
On August 23, 2024, PlayStation Studios unveiled Concord, a PvP shooter developed by its recently-acquired Firewalk Studios, and one among many long-anticipated live-service titles in the company’s roster.
Precisely two weeks later, on September 6, the game was taken off the market, with its servers deactivated. Subsequently, on October 29, Firewalk Studios was closed.
I apologize for reiterating, but this is worth emphasizing. I have observed numerous online-focused games being withdrawn months or years post-launch, and many games (both multiplayer and single-player) have struggled to attract an audience, yet I’ve never witnessed such complete market rejection from a renowned publisher like PlayStation towards Concord. I’m uncertain whether I will encounter such a scenario again in the future.
A thousand and one arguments can be (and have been) made regarding the various reasons for the game’s lack of resonance with players, but truly, I must question how this title managed to pass through so many internal evaluations, with executives and leadership approving something so flawed. With the studio shuttered, its only legacy now rests as an awkward episode of the Prime Video’s Secret Level series on Concord.
Speaking of studio closures…
2. Layoffs and closures ravage the industry
Oh my.
The layoffs of 2023 were severe. The events of 2024 are beyond words. Countless employees from Microsoft, Sony, Embracer Group, Electronic Arts, Take-Two Interactive, Ubisoft, among many others were dismissed. Renowned studios were shut down indiscriminately, and numerous games have been abandoned. The same justifications were repeated repeatedly, with well-paid leaders advocating for financial success and stating that the news would be hard to digest.
I doubt individuals will ever fully grasp the immense loss of talent, or the multitude of games that will not materialize in the upcoming years due to this. The disparities will be clearer for some publishers compared to others, but ultimately, all participated in this sacrifice.
Gradually, however, employees are becoming aware…
1. The emergence of unions
To close on a positive note, something significant occurred this year, as unions gained traction among some of the largest and most celebrated game developers globally.
Bethesda Game Studios, known for The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, and Starfield, established a comprehensive union, as did the entire World of Warcraft development crew at Blizzard Entertainment. Just before the year ended, ZeniMax Online Studios entered the movement.
Unions do not provide an absolute assurance that everything will go smoothly, and their effectiveness relies on the dedication of all members involved. Nevertheless, in a year that has been particularly brutal for game creation, many of these unions symbolize optimism, embodying the notion that no team is immune to collective action and can compel their parent company to take concerns seriously.
I have been excited to witness the formation of these unions, and I am genuinely optimistic that their expansion will persist in 2025.
This page was generated programmatically; to view the article in its original setting, you can visit the link below:
https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/the-gaming-stories-and-trends-that-defined-2024
and if you wish to have this article removed from our site, please contact us
