1. Game Development Trends Of 2021
Over the years, the gaming industry has had a continuous growth trajectory
and accelerated since the COVID-19 situation. With more people leaning
towards indoor entertainment options and taking up gaming more seriously,
the global gaming industry is expected to experience a CAGR of 12% in the next
four years.
Game development innovations like virtual reality and a higher level of
internet penetration have made gaming more enjoyable and convenient.
Further developments in technologies like blockchain eased asset exchanges
within games.
While gamers are thrilled to try new releases of their favorite games, game
developers should continuously evolve their skills. They should excel in
programming languages like C#, C++, JavaScript, Python, 3D modeling, audio,
animation, UI/UX, and motion design and also be on top of the latest
innovations.
Market Share For Console Games, Mobile Games, And PC
Games.
The gaming market itself is getting more competitive. The demand for online
games and mobile games has increased rapidly across the US, the UK, China,
Italy, and more.

2. Key game development companies like Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo are
keen on developing advanced gaming innovations, next-gen consoles, and
more to keep their audience hooked on their games.
But it is the mobile gaming market that leads above all, contributing to about
50% of the global games market. The overall value of the mobile gaming
industry was estimated to be over $70.3 billion in the year 2018. The
same report from Newzoo gives the market share of:
 Video game console to be around 25% with a valuation of $34.6 billion and
 Boxed/ downloadable PC games to be at 21% with a valuation of $28.6
billion.
 Browser PC games at 3% with a valuation of $4.3 billion
The rest of the gaming market is saturated with a large percentage of mobile-
accessible games with their market share summarised below:
 Smartphone games – 41% with a valuation of $56.4 billion
 Tablet games – 29% with a valuation of $13.9 billion.
NewZoo reports that by 2023 the gaming market will exceed $200 billion, and
the current estimate of 2.7 billion gamers would have grown at an incredible
rate.
Most gamers tend to think of gaming as a way to find relaxation from their
routine life. The introduction of exciting new features and higher engagement
levels has also driven more people to get into casual gaming.
As mobile gaming presents a more convenient and cheaper way of entry, it
continues to experience the highest level of followings and user engagement.
That is the reason that more companies want to hire game developers.
Meanwhile, consolegaming, despite its comparatively slow year-on-year
growth, is raking up loyal customers and establishing a consumer base. Some
challenges like physicaldistribution, cross-companycollaboration, and
certification will help the consolegaming industry grow even faster if dealt

3. with more efficiently.
How COVID-19 Impacted Gaming Trends
COVID-19 has caused a boom in the game development industry, especially in
multiplayer games. As physical communication and socialization dropped
following the lockdown measures to curb the pandemic, many people have
found gaming an excellent way to connect with other gamers.
Several remote collaboration platforms like Zoom and virtual meeting apps
have also launched gamification features to drive user engagement.
Habbo combines gaming and interactive modes to conduct more engaging
video conferences and parties that people like immensely.
The surge in gaming interest has also transformed the entertainment industry
as gamers like to experience better visuals and audio when playing their
games. The growth of gaming differs from that of the music or film industries.
While people do tend to enjoy all of these services from their home, music
shows, and the theatre experience still present as a way for socialization;
however it starts to be replaced by a virtual experience gaming provides.
Gaming can combine the essence of movie experiences with attractive
graphics and music that give a better engagement.
Technology Trends For Gaming Industry
Augmented Reality
Do you remember the time traffic signs had to be put up following the
Pokemon Go app’s viral popularity? Pokemon Go grabbed the world’s
attention with its groundbreaking AR technology that provided a whole new
level of gaming experience to players. More gaming app development projects
with AR-enabled features such as Location-based AR and Marker-based AR are
expected to open doors to huge marketing and sales opportunities.

4. AR is increasingly deployed in the retail industry by programmers as part of
gamification. Other sectors like education, entertainment, tourism, and real
estate also use AR features to help users visualize concepts and images in a
real-world setting.
Internet of Sense and Thought Control
Another promising upcoming trend in the gaming industry is the tech that
ought to bring science fiction into reality. Thought Control and the Internet of
Senses are evolving technologies that allow users to control apps and
machines via brain waves.
Some existing applications using this technology include EEG headsets. EEG
headsets pick up brainwaves to interact with a machine system and virtual
reality applications that provide an immersive experience to the user. For
example, EMOTIV’s devices with Mental Control algorithms can be assigned to
control virtual or real objects just by the thought.
Cloud Gaming
Cloud gaming is emerging as a priority trend allowing players to experience
powerful gaming without any hardware dependencies. The primary reason
console gaming has a lesser user population is the expensive hardware
involved. To provide the same gaming experience that a console can give over
the Internet, there should be high network bandwidth and processing power.
These mobile game development limitations are slowly disappearing with the
launch of 5G networks and powerful cloud gaming platforms like Google
Stadia, Playstation Now, and PlayKey. Gamers are not restricted by the
computing power or memory limitations on their devices anymore.
Virtual Reality
The VR space is continuously evolving, with many VR hardware becoming
cheaper by the day, allowing more users to experience a fantasy with realistic
sensations. Some popular VR games like Beat Saber, Far Point, Budget Cuts,
Half-Life Alyz, and Minecraft VR are steadily growing their user bases.

5. Video Game Streaming
Video game streaming is growing as a supportive industry, with several casual
and professional gamers taking up personal blogging and real-time streams to
engage with the community. Platforms like Twitch and Periscope have enabled
a whole new online networking genre reliant on the gaming community and
video game developers. The conversations and content generated like reviews,
streaming multiplayer battles, game videos, and more on these platforms are
also influencing user behavior.
Face And Voice Recognition
Speech technology and face recognition systems areused as a way to
authenticate gaming controls. Games like Mass Effect 3, Oculus Rift, Never
Mind, and morehave implemented speech-controlled actions that havebeen
welcomed warmly by gamers across the world.
Facial recognition is also used to create personalized avatars and reflect the
gamer’s expressions when playing a multiplayer scenario.
Wrap up
Gaming development presents viable financial opportunities that even small
to mid-range companies can make the best use of. Rising game development
trends will drastically switch gears in the entertainment industry in the next
few years. If you want to increase in the market, make sure you have a high-
skilled team of VR, AR, Unity, C#, JavaScript, C++ developers, and designers to
grasp the latest trends and put them into reality. If you are a gamer – wait for
it. Who knows, maybe the world of Iron Man is closer than we thought.