It is officially 2023 which means that it’s time to look at the gaming trend predictions for this year.
You may have seen the odd influencer post their “IN’S AND OUT’S” for 2023 online recently, usually consisting of stuff like “In: Good Vibes”, and (you guessed it) “Out: Bad Vibes”. Trends starting and ending that you’d least expect, of course.
In the same spirit, we’re here to cast our IN’s and OUT’s of this year, the year of our Gord. Some of them are based on this year’s release schedule, some of them are based on reports from the past year, and some are just based on hunches that we have.
So let’s do it! Here are our IN’s and OUT’s for the gaming world in 2023.
IN’s for 2023
Space games
2023 is looking to be a big year for games set in or related to outer space.
We got Starfield coming as Bethesda’s big, busty, and new IP, the ground-up remake of Dead Space, the sequel to Kerbal Space Program, the next chapter in the Star Wars Jedi story, and many more. Maybe we’ll meet some silly new aliens along the way too, perhaps a funny little friend or a putrid enemy? We’ll just have to wait and see.
Games meant for 2022
Speaking of Starfield, there were quite a few games meant to release in 2022 that were delayed until 2023.
Pretty much all of the games listed in Ethan Gach’s Biggest Game Delays of 2022 list are games that are now releasing this year. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Dead Island 2, Skull & Bones, Atomic Heart, Hogwarts Legacy… I could go on. This trend might even pass on to 2024 if Zack Zwiezen’s later predictions are anything to go off of.
Long-awaited sequels
Sorry to burst your bubble but the above picture is just a goof. Gorp’z World will never get a sequel… unless?
Diablo 4, Final Fantasy 16, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Hades II (early access), Homeworld 3, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, Alan Wake 2, Pikmin 4, The Wolf Among Us 2, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, and Payday 3 are games all confirmed to be released in 2023. Some of them have even come after 20 years of the series laying dormant. Exciting stuff!
OUT’s for 2023
Shovelware (kinda)
This one comes from PlayStation’s new rules when it comes to titles one would consider ‘shovelware’.
The dev letter, revealed by Dex Fragg of DEX.EXE, showed PlayStation was cracking down on shovelware, reskinned games, non-games, and platinum-trophy bait games. This is more hopeful than anything, but we’ve got our fingers crossed that other game companies will follow in the same direction this year. That being said, it’s unlikely that we’ll see them make a full exit.
Annual Call of Duty release
Since Call of Duty 2 in 2005, Activision has consistently delivered Call of Duty games each year. However, 2023 might break this tradition.
According to Forbes, multiple sources have rumoured that 2023 won’t see a brand new Call of Duty title, instead claiming that Activision Blizzard will opt to release more content for its most recent entry in the series Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II. Considering its ongoing success and popularity among fans, this wouldn’t be a huge surprise. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II.V, anyone?
Keeping 3-10 feral hogs in your home
Yeah sorry, couldn’t think of any other OUT’s for 2023 that were related to gaming. This one’s more general, and it’s just a feeling I have.
It’s very possible that due to rising costs of living and the continuing housing crisis, it will become harder and harder to house 3-10 feral hogs in your home. If they’re real chunky hogs, they may take up too much space in your living quarters, especially if you’re forced to downsize. This may be the year when we see hundreds if not thousands of domesticated feral hogs sent out of their abodes to live freely.
And those are our predictions! What do you think is IN this year for gaming? How about what’s OUT? Chuck your theories down in the comments.
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