With the onset of the new year, analysts are always trying to predict exactly what to expect from the industry. 2023 is truly a landmark: on Christmas, Microsoft and Sony will release their next-generation consoles, and in spring Valve will introduce Half-Life: Alyx.
Five well-known analysts in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz tried to answer the question of what will happen in 2023. The main read below.
Stephanie Llamas, Superdata
- More popular gaming IPs will migrate to VR;
- Apple will introduce augmented reality glasses (this is not a joke, actually);
- Oculus Quest will be sold in the amount of 1.8 million units and the price of the device will decrease;
- Social platforms for VR “on the horizon” (a hint on Horizon from Facebook);
- Mobile projects with AR support will not be fully paid, but will change the strategy for profit;
- 2020 will not be a year of mass transition to VR.
Jesse Divnich, Interpret
- VR will continue to capture the market;
- Fortnite will continue to lose popularity, but will struggle to maintain market share in 2023;
- Apex Legends will continue to grow its audience;
- Private educational institutions for streamers will appear, people will undergo training and even receive certificates of completion.
Piercing Rolls, IHS Markit Technology
- Nintendo Switch will once again become the best-selling console of the year. With the release of the updated Switch and Switch Lite models, the likelihood of the appearance of Switch Pro in 2023 has significantly decreased. Switch Lite will be released in China;
- Starting sales of the PS5 will surpass those of the Xbox Series X, despite both platforms reaching high levels in 2023. Higher than the PS4 and Xbox One in 2013;
- The PS5 and Xbox Series X prices will be the same, but they will be higher than the PS4’s starting price of $ 399. This could prompt Microsoft to release a less powerful and cheaper version of its next generation platform during the release of the Xbox Series X;
- Sony will not follow this tactic at launch, so Microsoft’s approach will provide the Xbox brand with more flexibility when entering the market, but will also add to the complexity of marketing and customer alerts;
- There is a high probability that Amazon will introduce its own streaming service in 2023. PlayStation Now will remain the largest subscription cloud service, by the end of March 2023 the number of its users will reach 1.4 million;
- The long-awaited Half-Life: Alyx will provide an increase in the number of VR devices in the PC market, but most of the sales in 2023 will come from stand-alone and console headsets. Oculus Quest will have a chance to become the best-selling headset, ahead of PSVR in this field. PSVR 2 will be released in 2023;
- Services for the provision of subscription games will multiply, but there will be no mass transition to this form of monetization, which we observe in the video and audio industry. By the end of 2023, the number of subscribers to the Apple Arcade service will be 12 million, making it the world’s largest gaming subscription service;
- The number of transactions for temporary exclusivity of games and additional content will increase in 2023.
Matt Piscatella, NPD Group
- Sales of PlayStation 4 and Xbox One will continue to decline throughout 2023;
- Subscription services will begin to have a significant impact on consumers ’game choices. Subscribers will no longer advise their friends to buy this or that game, but instead will recommend using subscription services;
- Nintendo Switch will continue to lead the gaming equipment sales charts, despite a slight decline compared to 2019. Perhaps she will continue to lead until 2023;
- Half-Life: Alyx and Oculus Quest sales growth will revitalize the virtual reality market, as well as competent marketing and content for PSVR;
- Cloud computing will continue to stumble. In addition to the release of Microsoft xCloud, which positions itself as a valuable addition to the list of Xbox services, and Sony’s increased attention to the PlayStation Now, there are no more reasons for the popularity of this technology in 2023. Too many problems are related to infrastructure, content and pricing to enable these services to achieve significant market success.
Serkan Toto, Kantan Games
- Nintendo will release Switch Pro in 2023 and will sell it for $ 399. The console will support 4K resolution and large volume cartridges. The device will be released shortly after the summer holidays to counter the launch of the next-generation PS5 and Xbox;
- Microsoft will release several more games for Switch. xCloud is unlikely to appear on the hybrid system in 2023;
- The PS5 and Xbox Series X will be more similar in terms of specifications, pricing, and functionality than current-generation consoles. Both systems will cost $ 499. No portable models, PSVR 2 and advanced devices in the spirit of the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X are expected at the start of the PS5 and Series X. There will be only one system from two competitors;
- Amazon and Netflix will officially reveal their plans for gaming cloud technologies;
- A further increase in the number of subscriptions. Sony will merge PlayStation Now and Plus in 2023. Microsoft is also likely to add xCloud to one of its existing paid services. Next year, Nintendo will add N64 games to the Switch Online library;
- Nintendo will release another popular franchise on mobile devices, perhaps The Legend of Zelda or Super Smash Bros, developed with a new partner, are waiting for us.
Read also: Looking forward to a full Medal of Honor? Vince Zampella led DICE LA.
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