It is always good practice to look to look ahead to the future and although the year 2017 is not over yet, there is already much that we can look forward to when it comes to gaming in the year ahead. 2018 will be a fascinating year, not only for the video game industry but for players as well. While Microsoft and Sony battle for a fast-paced 4K future, Nintendo hopes to be able to prove that its Switch platform will have another successful year. The PC market continues to benefit from a steady influx of indie titles and the growing VR industry. Some surprises have also been revealed that may just make your Christmas wishlist.
Beta versions and new games release
Many MMORPGs are being developed today as indie titles, without the support of large studios but instead use small teams that work with the gaming community. These games do not rely on a classic release model, but run a launch on instalments with alpha and beta phases. Among these games are a few titles, which are particularly interesting. for example, the online multiplayer beta version for Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) 2018 for football fans. Open Beta tests are mostly available for anyone interested, such as the beta for Star Wars: Battlefront II, which you can try out from 06 October 2017 to 09 October 2017. But there are many other opportunities: If you want to be a Beta tester for eSports betting, for instance, Master Mazuma promotions has updates on their onsite blog.
As well as open beta testing for games and games-related platforms, there are some closed betas that gamers can apply for such as Magic: The Gatherings’s Wizards of the Coast that includes the new Ixalan cards. It may be that Magic: The Gathering will dethrone Hearthstone from being the top card-based PvP game. The world will find it out soon, but in the meantime you can join the Beta Version.
It is not always all about killing dragons and exploring the universe – sometimes you need something more down-to-earth. Kingdom Come: Deliverance is more realistic than many genre representatives and with the help of historians, architects and many other scientists, the Czech studio War Horse has the ambitious plan of bringing the game experience (based in the 15th century) to life being as close as possible to the times.
One Trend that has been growing noticeably over the last few years is online multiplayer games and there is a great selection of MMO and MMORPG games set for release in 2018 such as the Legends of Aria (formerly known as Shards Online), Camelot Unchained and Crowfall.
Conclusion
The future of video games will be online. Recent games such as Destiny, The Division and Grand Theft Auto V online have already topped the revenue charts and continue to be very popular and no doubt will continue to be popular through 2018 and beyond. So what will you be playing in 2018?
