“The Xbox Series will catch up with the PlayStation 5”: the wild predictions of analysts for 2023

Game News “The Xbox Series will catch up with the PlayStation 5”: the wild predictions of analysts for 2023

Price increases and hybrid monetization

For Serkan Toto of Kanta Games, there is no doubt that prices will continue to increase in general in 2023, both for major AAA titles and for subscriptions available on the market. Regarding the price of consoles, that of Microsoft’s Xbox Series could experience an increase unlike that of Nintendo’s Switch. The video game industry’s 2022 numbers are slightly worse than 2021 for a variety of reasons, ranging from the unstable economic climate to fewer major releases in a post-lockdown period. Piers Harding-Rolls of Ampere Analysis points out that the market is less and less predictable due to various factors, such as the difficult macroeconomic context, the war in Ukraine, delays in game development, disruptions encountered in the market Chinese markets, market regulations and the non-optimal availability of consoles.

Furthermore, Karol Severin of Midia Research warns that the effects of inflation will be in full swing in 2023. and that as a result, consumers will want to do two essential things: decrease their overall spending and/or increase the value for money of their purchases. According to him, when it comes to household savings, gambling spending is an immediate potential target in times of economic sluggishness. This is why the analyst predicts good performance on the free-to-play side in terms of the number of users. Piers Harding-Rolls of Ampere Analysis predicts democratization of hybrid monetization systems aimed at including advertising to offer cheaper subscriptions in specific markets. As you will have understood, in 2023, players should pay particular attention to their money.

The only big takeover this year will be that of Activision by Microsoft

The acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft, a real soap opera with many twists and turns in the year 2022, will perhaps find a conclusion in 2023. It is Piers Harding-Rolls of the Ampere Analysis group who ventures a prediction, that ofa successful takeover for the Redmond firm. Nevertheless, the analyst explains that the company chaired by Brad Smith will have to accept new concessions, such as the conditions for the inclusion of certain Activision games in the Game Pass. If Microsoft avoids federal court, the case could be over before June 2023. Since we’re talking about Blizzard, the group is expected to return to China in 2023 with a new partner, according to Lisa Cosmas Hanson of Niko Partners. All the experts interviewed agree thatno other major acquisitions are expected to take place this year because of the economic context.

PlayStation 5 in the lead, Xbox Series in remontada mode, Nintendo’s next-gen in 2024

Thanks to a packed schedule of big releases for the year 2023, the console market could manage to stabilize in 2023 after a decline in 2022. According to Piers Harding-Rolls of Ampere Analysis, the PlayStation 5 has a strong chance of being the best-selling console in 2023, even if Nintendo should make a very good score thanks to the release of the next Zelda on Switch. Karol Severin of Midia Research adds that the macroeconomic climate will allow companies that are moving away from traditional business models, dependent on unit sales, to activate levers of success. Microsoft’s desire to offer value for money in its hardware and avoid consumers having to shell out big bucks all at once would put the US giant ahead of Sony to thrive in a recessionary environment. Consequently, analyst says Xbox will significantly narrow its sales gap with PlayStation 5 in 2023.

Piers Harding-Rolls and Karol Severin agree Game Pass should be one of the big winners of 2023. Their projections show significant growth for Microsoft’s star service in 2023 thanks to the arrival of highly anticipated games, whether Microsoft buys Activision or not. Sony is also expected to secure more third-party games for its PS Plus to boost adoption of the service. For Karol Severin, subscriptions are perceived by the public as ways to save money and value, compared to the traditional proposal. He adds that reducing entry costs while increasing the means to access an ecosystem is a winning formula for 2023. Finally, Ampere Analysis’ Piers Harding-Rolls doesn’t predict Switch 2 for 2023 despite nearing end of cycle, but bets on next-gen Nintendo console for 2024.

VR will experience better, the blockchain will experience disruptions

To finish with the most interesting predictions of analysts, Karol Severin bets on good performance of virtual reality, especially through the business world, thanks to significant advances in technology. The expert is betting on a penetration rate that could reach double digits in the United States. For Piers Harding-Rolls of Ampere Analysis, Sony’s PSVR 2 will enter the market in extremely difficult times. He estimates that 1.2 to 1.5 million PSVR 2 will be sold in 2023. He is also betting on the arrival of Quest 3 at the end of the year.

As for NFTs, Serkan Toto of Kantan Games foresees their democratization in our big AAA games despite Ubisoft’s failure with Ghost Recon. Piers Harding-Rolls of Ampere Analysis believes that we will see bankruptcies of companies that have bet everything on blockchain games, while Lisa Cosmas Hanson of Niko Partners is banking on a decline in the South Asian blockchain market. -East. If you want to find all the predictions, it’s at Gamesindustry that’s happening.

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