Gaming has come a long way over the past six decades since the launch of ‘Tennis for Two.’ Today, the global gaming market has reached over 240 billion US dollars. It is the result of the thousands of video game titles and their growing fandom. People invest a lot of their time, money, and resources in their favourite games. All this will continue as long as the gaming studios deliver on the projects and unreleased titles. However, there is a paradigm shift in the gaming industry where it has evolved into a market that primarily emphasizes profits rather than the fans.
Now, for gamers, there is no particular day and title that is objectively the best day or year for video games. However, it’s not difficult to analyze the downfall of the gaming industry by looking at the reviews of gamers. Since 2018, things are not good for a lot of studios, and it’s not an unpopular opinion to say that 2018 was the last best year of gaming. So, let’s dig into some statistics, public sentiments, and data that suggest that the gaming industry is in trouble even if the sales are at an all-time high.
The Tale Of Gaming In 2018
2018 was a very successful year for gaming across different platforms. The consoles enjoyed a number of increasing sales and players online. The PS4 alone sold over 90 million units worldwide. It is a big deal, and the majority of this is the result of titles like God of War and Spiderman. These original AAA Games are the backbone of the Play Station’s success. Additionally, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch also experienced great sales numbers and growing players. Thus, without even acknowledging the number of games published on Steam and played on PCs, it’s not wrong to say that 2018 was a successful year for gaming.
So, what happened after 2018? The answer is very complicated since, based on figures, the industry grew at a good rate. But this is not the full picture since the public sentiment states otherwise. You can visit any review site to find the majority of gamers are not happy with their favourite games. This is not a generic statement since pricing and development time for some games is beyond comprehension.
Even though a lot of games have done extremely well after 2018, these are only exceptions in the big market. Moreover, most of those games are not original but are additions to popular franchises. For example, the best-selling game on PS in 2019 was TLOU2. However, it’s not an original story or tale, and the fact that most users hated the story makes the case for earlier arguments—the disconnect between studios and their fans.
- No pandemic delays.
- No half-launched betas.
- Fewer microtransaction controversies.
- Cheaper and more accessible games.
- Multiple AAA and Indie releases.
- Thriving gaming communities.
Coming back to 2018, a lot of things felt right. The culture, rise of streamers and famous game figures. It was a recipe for a year where a lot of games flourished and made their marks in players’ hearts. And without even diving into the whole prices and transactions of 2025, it was a good time to be a gamer.
The Blockbuster Hits Of 2018
A lot of multiplayer games reached their peak in late 2017 and early 2018 like PUBG and Fortnite. However, the story-driven games which made their mark were out of this world. Games like God of War and Red Dead Redemption 2 redefined the love for single-player games among gamers. These titles were beyond games but an experience where quality gameplay met best-told stories. Moreover, their visuals were immaculate, and their depth of development was on a whole different level.
- God of War
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Spider-Man (PS4)
- Monster Hunter: World
- Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
But it was not only the visuals that captivated the millions of players. The real impact was of stories, and the well-written world didn’t force anything on the player. Everything was there, and you’re the one to explore and have a great time. And this is something that has perished from the current gaming landscape. Today, most of the games are pretentious and substance-lacking, and even though they have good gameplay, you don’t feel like having fun.
Indie Games That Made Their Mark
A lot of independent studios also exceeded expectations by curating some of the most fascinating titles in 2018. This shows a lot about the state of small-scale studios’ capability to find their audiences and build a market. However, all this was affected by the 2020 pandemic, and because of this, several studios had to shut down. All this was a bad time for the developers who worked so hard over the years in making some of the best games.
- Celeste
- Dead Cells
- Return of the Obra Dinn
Currently, many indie studios are focused on monetizing their games and making a profit a priority. And this is not a bad thing considering the current competitive market. However, all this favours personal design choices over the public interests. As a result, there are not a lot of good indie games in development in the present. The ones that are taking far longer than their expected launch dates. So, it’s not the best time where you can find indie devs visibility and innovation.
Esports and Multiplayer At Their Peak?
Multiplayer games are different in their functioning and revenue generation. It’s because most titles are free-to-play for the users. So, the only form of revenue for them is microtransactions, skins, and in-game purchases. In 2018, three games dominated the entire competitive market. They raised the bars very high for the entrance of other studios in the multiplayer scene. Whether it’s the fresh and vibrant gameplay of Fortnite or the realistic gunplay of PUBG, multiplayer games shine in 2018. Today, all this is different as the game’s primary focus has shifted from gameplay to skins and other microtransactions.
- Overwatch
- PUBG
- Fortnite
Still, the upcoming years are good for the multiplayer scene as long as there is a happy player base. Some games struggled and died; meanwhile, new titles like Valorant added a fresh touch to the shooter games. It’s not wrong to say that developers have a lot of options and ideas. Still, other factors like timing and execution play a pivotal role in the success of new games. Also, people are attached to old titles like CS, Dota, and League of Legends, so it’s not easy for any studio to find their audience initially.
Gaming Culture and Community Of 2018
The best year of gaming needs to have a striving and vibrant online community. Many rose to fame in 2018 with their community-driven memes, emotes and game walkthroughs. The rise of streamers in 2018 is a result of pure fun and less toxicity—something which is at an all-time high today. Moreover, this hyper-aggressive psyche of the community is also an indicator of a falling culture. Thus, it’s clear that not only in 2018 but in the past, the communities were more inclusive, helpful and creative.
The celebration of video games and their peak is like a marketing slideshow. Everyone knows everyone, and there is nothing original about anything. The streaming world has a lot of big names, but they are not original, as people want authentic streams. On top of that, the most famous streamers in the present do not even play video games.
The Industry Before The Fall Of Video Games
With the onset of SaaS or software as a service model, everyone wants to build something around it. It’s a decent model but offers nothing to the customers. As a result, it is one of the biggest reasons for piracy. Even in the realm of gaming, companies develop and sell a game for a fixed price. However, in recent years, the introduction of service models has taken a toll on the consumer’s pockets.
Meeting deadlines and crunch culture is a major problem in game development. It has always been an issue, and in recent years, more people and employees are complaining about it. Making video games is an art, and you can’t be productive with art. Gaming studios have to balance work with art so that the end product is magnificent and great for everyone.
What Happened After The Last Best Year Of Gaming?
Where to start when talking about the saturation of the gaming industry? It’s been a mess lately, and things are not in synchronization between customers and developers. Let’s start with broken launches and the overload of microtransactions. These two parameters have been the story of some of the biggest games in the last few years. Not only that, after the pandemic, the rise of remote development has also affected the necessary communication between the development teams for any given project. As a result, broken game launches are all around the world, even by some of the biggest studios.
Some of the biggest flops with great promise of the past few years.
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Anthem
- Battlefield 2042
Another thing about game development after 2018 is that the market is saturated with similar titles. Whether it’s an open-world role-playing game or skin-based multiplayer, there are so many titles. This has resulted in an overwhelming number of gamers who, unfortunately, all have 24 hours a day. So, it’s not an easy job to choose from the vast array of games to enjoy. Moreover, pairing this with the engagement priorities of the studios, you’ll find fewer good games in the coming years. And even if the game is good, it will be priced at a much higher rate, along with a bunch of excuses to take more money out of the user’s pockets.
The Emotional Element Of The Old Games
The nostalgia of old games is inside each of us. Different games have engraved their place in our memories, and it’s harder for newer games to take that place. But we can’t go back and enjoy the old days of PS2 or fragging in COD and CS. So, it is the time that people accept the reality of the situation. As a customer, we deserve the best stories and gameplay, but that is only possible when we are open to change. Yes, the need to revolt around mid-tier games and services is a good thing, but accepting the new technologies is important as well. Thus, it’s better to savour the memories of physical copies while simultaneously connecting to the Internet than just playing a normal game because that’s the world we live in.
Could Gaming Return to 2018’s Glory
For any coming period to be the best year of gaming, a lot of things need to happen. First of all, the rise of the indie development scene must happen when new ideas and stories come into the market. On top of that, the big studios need to communicate with their audience and players—only then is there a possibility of enjoyable games. At present, most fans are not happy with the way the industry is shaping up—people want offline play, cheap titles and better quality. And none of this is there for the gamers; companies are only focusing on the quantity and missing the whole point of curating creative arts.
The corporatization of video games is inevitable, but that does not mean that games are not up to par. It is certain that if a good match comes at a high cost, most of the users will buy it. However, if the same old games get reworked and sold as a separate IP, then it’s a problem. The corporations are scamming their fan base for the same old product. One other important factor is the pricing, which has exceeded a lot but has not been able to deliver on content and awe factor.
The Next Best Year Of Gaming!
2018 was a good year for gaming, and you can make a case it was one of the best times to be a gamer. However, times have changed, and now things are not the same as the industry is struggling to find their identities. Today, the studios need to hear the opinions of their fans rather than slamming their interests. Moreover, the development should be done with a balance of gameplay and storytelling, which will reaffirm people’s interest in the games.
With the hype of GTA 6, the gaming community is counting on one of the biggest gaming releases of all time. But not one game can save the entire industry from imploding on its growth and weight. Indie studios, as well as other publishers, should invest in stories that are worth our time(relatable and simple). And only then can we bring the golden days of gaming back to the current environment.