Mobile’s domination of the gaming market continues to grow, as does Android’s domination of the mobile gaming market. Today, practically everyone is a gamer to a greater or lesser extent, from middle aged middle managers trying their luck at the casino on the commute home to their retired parents enjoying a daily dose of word games and brain teasers.
It’s a market that is constantly growing and evolving. Here, we look at the trends that are likely to dominate as we progress through 2023.
The Metaverse
Yes, everyone is talking about the metaverse at the moment, and the buzz is only going to increase over the coming months. The point is, plenty of industries are talking about tapping into the power of the metaverse, from real estate to fashion, but it is gaming that is likely to really put some of these ideas into action over the course of this year.
Always keen to exploit the cutting edge for competitive advantage, the online casino niche is paving the way. New markets like Canada started to legalize online casinos in 2022, at least in some provinces, and it is in places like this that all new iGaming experiences are likely to be trialed. See Online Casino List for more information about the main brands that are active right now.
The Metaverse will not necessarily bring wholesale change, but will smoothen the entire user experience for casino gamers, from signing in to selecting your game to cashing out winnings. But in time, it will help players to bring some of their offline characteristics online. This has intriguing potential in PvP games like poker, where tells and bluffs could become an important part of the online game.
Cloud Streaming
Cloud services are transforming the way players consume games and as we have seen in other areas of cloud tech, once it starts it can spread with incredible rapidity. 2023 could be the year that cloud game streaming becomes the norm.
To date, the nature of online connectivity has restricted cloud streaming services to the major players like Microsoft, Google and Amazon. However, as 5G continues to roll out, technological constraints are removed and the industry could open up in exciting new ways.
Blockchain
Combining gaming with blockchain is nothing new, and again, it is an area that iGaming has already been quick to explore. However, it has never truly found its feet or garnered mainstream interest. It is only a matter of time, and the time could be now, as mobile gaming is transformed from a simple leisure activity to a way of building assets through blockchain technology.
Mobile XR
VR and AR have all had flurries of interest without quite transforming gaming in the way we expected. Extended Reality could prove to be the breakthrough.
Mobile XR will make games more immersive and realistic through the use of affordable and portable wearables, convertible screens and enhanced motion tracking. It’s what the future of gaming is all about.