Currently, changing structure of the gaming industry in 2024 has shocked many of us. The gaming industry will go through major underlying movements by 2024 driven by cloud gaming development, guideline of adaptation models, portable stage strength, independent designer rise, VR/AR reception, crossplay capacities, and an accentuation on live help games subsidized by microtransactions.
Introduction
The Changing Structure of the Gaming Industry in 2024 has shown that gaming business will go through major underlying movements by 2024 driven by cloud gaming development, guideline of adaptation models, portable stage strength, independent designer rise, VR/AR reception, crossplay capacities, and an accentuation on live help games subsidized by microtransactions. l and increased reality (VR/AR), independent game turn of events, and legitimate/administrative fights will shape the business this year and then some.
Growth of Cloud Gaming and Game Streaming
Top companies in the space include:
- Google Stadia – Stadia leverages Google’s infrastructure to stream games at up to 4K resolution. Reports indicate Google plans to triple its game catalog on Stadia to over 400 by 2024.
- Nvidia GeForce Now – Geforce Now has over 12 million members and will further improve streaming quality and expand device support in 2024.
- Amazon Luna – Amazon’s Luna gaming service is still invite-only in the U.S. but allows users to stream games across PC, Mac, and Fire TV. Luna is positioned to be a major player once opened up to more markets.
Research firm Analysis Group projects that global revenue for cloud gaming will reach $5.1 billion by 2024, indicating massive expansion in the popularity of game streaming services.
Key benefits spurring the cloud gaming boom include:
- Play More Games for Less – Access hundreds of high fidelity games for one monthly subscription fee
- Game on Low-Power Devices – Play on phones, tablets, and laptops without needing expensive gaming PCs or consoles
- Play Instantly – No lengthy downloads, just instantly start playing games in the cloud
The Changing Structure of the Gaming Industry in 2024
Mobile Gaming Overtakes Console and PC Gaming
The mobile gaming market has seen explosive growth over the last decade. Sensor Tower reports that global spending on mobile games hit $116 billion in 2021, accounting for 70% of all gaming revenue.
According to market researcher Newzoo, there were 2.8 billion mobile gamers in 2021 compared to just 200 million console gamers and 1 billion PC gamers. By 2024, mobile’s share of global gaming revenue could exceed 75% and its userbase expand beyond 3 billion.
Top mobile game franchises leading the charge include:
- Candy Crush Saga – Activision’s match-3 puzzle game has grossed over $8 billion to date. New content and consistency keeps it at the top.
- PUBG Mobile – The mobile version of PUBG (PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds) has generated over $7 billion thanks to its culture-defining battle royale gameplay.
- Genshin Impact – This anime-style open-world action RPG by miHoYo has amassed over $3 billion since 2020 and shows RPGs can thrive on mobile.
Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Go Mainstream
According to gaming industry analyst Holger Mueller, the global user base for VR gaming is forecasted to grow from 20 million users in 2022 to nearly 170 million users by 2024. Multiple factors enable this exponential growth:
- Affordable, Mainstream VR Headsets – Standalone devices like the Meta Quest 2 and Sony PSVR 2 make quality VR more accessible to average users
- Advanced VR Games – Big budget VR-exclusive titles will change perceptions of VR gaming beyond simple arcade-like experiences
- Engaging Content Libraries – Platforms like Meta Horizon Worlds are rapidly expanding their catalogs with social games
For augmented reality, games leveraging new hybrid transparent headsets like Nreal Air could push more gamers to try AR gaming thanks to enhanced mobility. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney believes AR glasses may replace smartphones, and AR gaming will lead that charge in the second half of the 2020s.
The Rise of Independent Gaming Studios
While big gaming companies invest heavily in emerging gaming mediums outlined already, the increasing viability of self-publishing also enables smaller independent gaming studios to flourish by 2024. In the mobile gaming market especially, indie developers are driving much of the innovation.
Some top examples of successful indie mobile gaming studios:
- Habby – Has created multiple hypercasual hit games like Arrow Fest and Pigeon: Affection Generator, each with over 100 million downloads
- Small Giant Games – Specializes in casual puzzle RPGs, with their title Empires & Puzzles grossing over $1 billion to date
- Supercell – Finnish developer behind smash hits Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, and Brawl Stars generating billions in revenue
These independent gaming studios leverage digitization and creative art styles to craft novel gaming experiences that stand out and onboard new gamers. Storefronts like the App Store and Google Play provide immense distribution reach, allowing small development teams to achieve profitability and influence with much lower budgets than AAA studios.
The strong forecasted growth for non-AAA gaming enabled by streaming and mobile platforms ensures indie developers will shape the future of the gaming landscape.
Microtransactions and Live Service Games Dominate
Modern game monetization heavily incentivizes an ongoing live service model funded by in-game microtransactions. This aligns the interests of both players and developers in continuously updating titles over longer periods of time compared to traditional models where developers make a one-time packaged game sale.
Here is a table summarizing the key changes in the structure of the game industry in 2024:
| Change | Description |
|---|---|
| Cloud Streaming Services Grow | Cloud gaming platforms like Google Stadia, GeForce Now, & Amazon Luna will amass millions more users and become a multi-billion dollar market for streaming games to any device. |
| Mobile Platform Dominates | Mobile gaming overtakes console & PC with over 3 billion players and 75% revenue share thanks to free-to-play titles like Candy Crush & Genshin Impact driving mass adoption. |
| VR/AR Gain Users | VR userbase grows 10X to 170 million by 2024 as headsets like Meta Quest 2 and PSVR 2 enable more immersive, affordable experiences. AR also grows via transparent glasses. |
| Indie Studios Thrive | Smaller independent gaming studios find success by leveraging digital storefronts and lower dev costs to craft innovative niche mobile games, building highly engaged communities of users. |
| Live Service & MTX Models Lead | Games emphasize ongoing content & events over discrete releases. Microtransactions for virtual goods in persistent worlds like Fortnite or CoD: Warzone become dominant form of industry revenue. |
| Crossplay Becomes Standard | Console makers support crossplay across competing hardware so gamers can squad up with friends easily regardless of owning Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, or PC. |
| Legal Battles Around Monetization | Lawsuits and regulations intensify around predatory monetization like loot boxes (rng item sales), crypto/NFT integration, and usage of children’s data. Outcomes shape acceptable monetization. |
By 2024 games like:
- Fortnite
- Call of Duty Warzone
- Apex Legends
- Genshin Impact
Will generate the bulk of gaming revenue through the steady stream of selling in-game currency, battle passes, cosmetic skins, expansions, and more to existing player bases. Enabled by the digital ecosystem, this recurrent spending creates a very predictable, high margin revenue stream.
Analyst firm Juniper Research estimates global spending on microtransactions will reach $128 billion in 2024, dwarfing revenue from base game purchases. This lucrative trend ensures gaming innovation will target retaining players in evolving persistent worlds rather than solely making new title releases.
Cross-Platform Play and Accounts Become Standard
The final major shift occurring is competitive multiplayer titles allowing gamers to play with or against other players on different gaming platforms. Previously console makers like Sony restricted crossplay functionality to keep players locked into their respective networks.
But consumer friendly moves like Epic Games’ efforts to support Fortnite crossplay on phones, consoles, PCs, and even competing consoles has forced the industry toward standards establishing unified gaming profiles and accounts that work across Xbox Live, PSN, and Nintendo.
By 2024 the most anticipated multiplayer-centric games like:
- Halo Infinite
- Skull and Bones
- Diablo IV
Will all support cross-progression and crossplay out of the box, allowing groups of friends to squad up regardless of their preferred platform. This long overdue shift ends the fragmented state of online multiplayer gaming and benefits players freedom.
Regulation and Legal Battles Intensify
While innovation across all the above trends indicate an overall healthy industry, gaming companies also face intensifying legal and regulatory pressure on monetization models deemed unethical or gambling adjacent:
| Regulation | Description |
|---|---|
| Loot box restrictions | Governments may soon force publishers to reveal loot box drop rates or limit usage in youth games |
| NFT framework | Guidelines will emerge around preventing gambling or scams in blockchain-based gaming economies |
| COPPA violations | US bill could designate games as child-directed, forcing stronger data protections for under 13 player data |
Court battles between Fortnite publisher Epic Games and tech giants over App Store fees also continue. The outcomes of these legal challenges will shape how much gaming platforms can monetize participating developers and impose restrictions impacting certain game designs and business models.
Conclusion and Future Outlook
The gaming world continues evolving at a rapid pace. Cloud infrastructure enables gameplay anywhere while mobile cements itself as the dominant gaming platform based on ease of access and business model advantages. VR/AR bring new levels of immersion once hardware and software mature. Independent creators craft gaming experiences that capture player attention for longer and generate more revenue than ever thanks to digitization and recurring spending models. Lastly, an accounting of ethics through lawsuits and regulation lags just slightly behind innovation and will have its say by 2024. Gamers can look forward to even more polished experiences across more screens, enabled by platforms converging and a focus on player retention over individual game unit sales. The structural changes gaming companies undergo in optimizing for this new landscape will propel interactive digital entertainment firmly into the cultural zeitgeist worldwide as the next evolutionary leap beyond passive film or television watching.
