It’s a good time to be a gamer. Not only are video games in uncharted territory regarding their design norms and the themes they’re willing to tackle, but they’ve never been more popular, with new releases presenting as landmark cultural events rather than simple releases of entertainment products.

For that reason, it’s not hard to see why so many people are interested in enjoying this worthwhile hobby for themselves.

It’s also quite clear to see that many excellent studios and developers take their time to be public, to engage with the audience, to patch their titles as appropriate – providing further support for the products they sell. This kind of effort helps companies gain a great reputation, and the back and forth conversation between these studios and their players usually contributes to a better industry at large.

It can be nice to review these matters once in a while and consider just how the larger trends of the game industry are creating new norms, new opportunities, and new excitement. In this post, we hope to explore three of the most promising and exciting new development trends of the last year or so – and what that means for the future:

Cross-Platform Multiplayer Compatibility

It once seemed like a pipe dream to believe console companies would come together and try to implement cross-platform compatibility in their titles, particularly as it relates to playing online. Why is this? Well, if you can play your game online with your friends who may be on a different console, then that completely removes the chance that you’ll pick up the competitor’s console for that exact reason. That said, Microsoft, Sony and PC launchers are becoming more amorphous as of late, meaning that playing Rocket League or comparable titles with our console friends is now a possibility. No matter if you’re playing games like State of Decay 2 with your Xbox friends or Call of Duty with Playstation users, the future is bright for cross-platform play as standard.

Game Pass Subscriptions

No matter what you think of game pass subscriptions and their implications for game ownership here on out, it’s pretty hard to argue that Microsoft Game Pass among others aren’t of tremendous value. Not only do they give you a great, wide library of curated titles (titles you may have ignored otherwise), but they continually comb their selection, adding more over time. For Microsoft, this means adding more and more first party titles to their list, and with their acquisition of publishers like Bethesda, it’s not hard to see just how much they could offer in the future. Even services like Playphone are becoming thoroughly notable in the mobile space.

Content Culture

Streamers, content creators and influencers are nothing new, but never have they had so many eyes on them, with even democratic representatives streaming on platforms like Twitch. These platforms are often free to broadcast on too, which means it’s more than possible to go live and build an audience yourself. Content creators of all shapes and sizes can give insight into the game development process, or they can simply be a cutting and trusted voice as it relates to consumer matters. In this light, they are a necessary and growing force in the industry – and you could join them if you so wish.

The games’ industry is a fascinating topic to discuss. With these three promising trends, that truth shows no sign of stopping soon.