I was working on a post talking about the best games of this generation, but it started sounding a bit predictable. It had the usual Bioware stuff (Fallouts, Elder Scrolls), the Mass Effect series, the Bioshock series, the Assassin’s Creed series, Catherine, the GoW series (both of them), Journey, Beyond: Two Souls, Demon/Dark Souls, Lost Odyssey, Ni No Kuni, The Great Indies (Flower, Unfinished Swan, Papo y Yo, and so on) etcetera etcetera etcetera. I got bored of explaining why each of these games were must plays as it read like any other review that can be found in any game review site.
Instead of doing that, prompted by a comment by a friend and this post, I decided to do a Predictions for 2014 instead. I should note that these predictions are not based on any numbers or observations or analysis. I’ll leave those for later and post them over at Gamasutra. Instead, I’ll just make some “for fun, wishful thinking” predictions. So here we go:
January – February:
Multiplatform games are released on PS 4 and the X-1, as well as versions with slightly toned down visuals on the PS 3 and the 360. Some exclusives come out for each console. The Final Fantasy X remaster and Lightning Returns games, send off the 7th generation in style. Nintendo loses more third party support for the Wii U, but promises to step up first party titles and new IP productions.
Commentary about the future of gaming being in mobile platforms abound.
Steamies say they can build a $300.00 gaming PC.
March – May
Seventh generation consoles lose support, articles about the death of the PS 3 and the 360 abound. Solid titles start coming out on the PS 4 and the X – 1. Nintendo announces a new HD mature looking Zelda title and a new Super Mario 3D World title along some other titles. 3DS titles keep pouring in. A new “special edition 3DS XL” is announced.
Ps 4 begins to outsell Microsoft by almost 100% (that’s a 2:1 rate), Wii U sales begin to pick up, but not by much.
June – July
Nintendo puts out a special edition 3DS XL (announced a few months previous), announces another special edition later in the year. Atlus announces a Persona crossover game with a Sega IP – speculation points to Shining Force or Phantasy Star. More AAA games come out on the X-1 and the PS 4. PS 4 sales dominate the X-1, Microsoft announces 100$ price drop (maybe a Kinect-less version), Wii U sales remain stable. 3DS keeps printing money. Some really great mobile games come out.
Something about how everyone has a computer so buy a video card or something.
August – October
More games come out. AAA exclusives are fewer, they are more often multiplatform. Nintendo starts seeing increased Wii U sales and securing 3rd party support, specially in Japanese markets. Operation Rainfall II happens. Not a lot of exciting news outside of a few kid-friendly Christmas titles (Skylanders whatever comes next, for example). A new Pokemon title comes out.
November
Major franchises announce or release new versions of their games. Black Friday deals announced. New collectors 3DS XL retails for 170$ with some gift card or extra games, Wii U Black Friday bundle includes an extra game and controller for 200$, followed by a permanent 250$ price mark afterwards. X – 1 announces a bundle with a full Killer Instinct unlock and some Live credit. Sony announces a 3 game bundle for 300$, followed by a permanent $350 price mark.
Big holiday titles release. Nintendo’s lineup looks great. PS 4 and X – 1 sales begin to dwindle.
Atlus releases a numbered Phantasy Star title where one planet features several Persona-type quests.
December
The Wii U leads the PS 4 and X-1 in sales, ,3DS sales begin to dwindle, games still sell incredibly well. A few new IPs come out.
Sega still has not released Phantasy Star Online 2 to US audiences.
Johansen Quijano is a professor of English in The University of Texas at Arlington, where he is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in English. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in the Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Development focusing on TESOL, and a Master’s Degree in English Literature. He has published and presented on a variety of topics including video game studies, popular culture studies, education, teaching methodology, language acquisition, romantic poetry, and victorian literature. His research interests include the above-mentioned topics, narrative, interactivity, simulation, new media in general, and 18th century literature. He also enjoys creative writing (fiction, historical fiction, and poetry), and reading all kinds of epic literary works - from the Epic Poem of Gilgamesh to Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series.
Source:
http://johansenquijano.wordpress.com/2013/12/10/on-gaming-in-2014-predictions/