2022 Wrapped: Gaming & Esports Edition

As we approach the end of 2022, it's time to reflect on the year in gaming and esports. This year has seen some major developments and trends in the industry, and it's worth taking a look at what's happened and where we're headed.

For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, all things gaming & esports returned to normal. Fans made their way back to LAN tournaments and Game Developers are back in their workshops cooking up new ground-breaking games for us to play. Thus, we finally have a full year of new releases, tournaments, and announcements to look back and choose from.

Esports

Competitive gaming has exploded in popularity over the past few years, and 2022 was no exception. Major tournaments and leagues have seen record levels of viewership, and new titles have emerged as major players in the esports scene.

A number of major tournaments and events have taken place throughout the year. The League of Legends World Championship, the Dota 2 International, and the Valorant Champions Tour were just a few of the standout events that drew in millions of viewers from around the world. In addition, we saw the continued growth of battle royale games like Fortnite and PUBG: Battlegrounds, with a number of high-profile tournaments and events being held for these games as well.

One of the biggest esports stories of the year was the emergence of Valorant and League of Legends as the top dogs in the competitive gaming world. Their developer, Riot Games, has invested heavily in building up its esports ecosystem, and it has paid off in a big way. Both games have become the most popular esports titles in the world, with League of Legends becoming the most watched esport in the world with 615 Million hours watched, whilst Valorant Champions Tour 2022 became the single most watched tournament at 252.5 Million hours watched!

What’s more? Riot Games announced a partnership league system with ten teams from the 3 major regions around the world. Ever since we’ve seen some of the biggest names in the sport like NAVI, FNATIC, Cloud9, NRG, Sentinels, and more, come together as a part of “superteams”. With the majority of rosters now locked-in we cannot wait to see the new squads take to the server when the inaugural event LOCK//IN kicks off early next year in Brazil!

Moreover, with more and more people owning smartphones, mobile gaming continues to grow, and it has even started to rival traditional console and PC gaming in terms of revenue and player base. Some of the most popular esports mobile games this year have been titles like PUBG, Call of Duty: Mobile, Free Fire, Mobile Legends and Pokemon Unite.

Gaming

In addition to these trends, there have also been a number of major releases and updates in the world of PC gaming this year. Some of the most highly anticipated games of 2022 included the latest installments in popular franchises like Call of Duty, Assassin's Creed, and The Legend of Zelda. Whilst talking about games this year, one simply cannot forget the likes of Elden Ring and God of War: Ragnarok as these games have both received critical acclaim and have been huge commercial successes.

One of the major events of the year was the release of the highly anticipated next-gen graphic cards which brought with them some really impressive hardware and features, including ray tracing, lightning-fast load times, and improved stability. Along with the release of these new cards, we saw a slew of new games that took advantage of their capabilities, such as "Demon's Souls," "Spider-Man: Miles Morales," and "Halo Infinite."

One trend that continued to dominate the gaming industry in 2022 was the rise of mobile gaming. Games like "Genshin Impact," "Among Us," and "Call of Duty: Mobile" all saw massive success on the App Store and Google Play, proving that mobile gaming is a force to be reckoned with. In addition, the popularity of streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube continued to grow, with streamers and content creators amassing huge followings and becoming celebrities in their own right.

As we look to the next year, there is a lot of anticipation for what companies like Sony, Microsoft and others will bring for their fans. For Microsoft their biggest challenge remains in successfully acquiring Activision Blizzard and Call of Duty, which would solidify their position as #2 biggest video game publishers in the world, just behind the Chinese mega-corp, Tencent.

Interestingly, Nintendo is deviating from their standard path of promoting and releasing new games lately. Instead, they are focusing their resources on promoting the upcoming “The Super Mario Bros. Movie”, featuring Chris Pratt and Jack Black. Moreover, they will also be working on the success of the Super Nintendo World theme park at Universal Studios Hollywood, next year.

DappRadar’s BGR#7 highlights that the Web 3.0 gaming industry raised an estimated $10 billion in 2022, showing a substantial increase from the $4 billion invested in 2021. These investments are divided among infrastructure, games, and metaverse projects and investment firms.

Powered by blockchain technology, P2E games are attracting a lot of attention. Unlike traditional games, Web 3.0 gamers interact with the games in novel and decentralized ways. Players are rewarded for their attention and time spent, this model has been a huge success and paves way for the future of casual gaming. Moreover, developers from notable big-name companies are now working to create AAA-level Web3 games, which are sure to garner more eyes and attention.

Looking ahead to 2023 and beyond, it's clear that gaming and esports will continue to be a major force in the entertainment industry. With new technologies and platforms emerging all the time, there's no telling what the future holds for these exciting and rapidly-evolving fields. Whether you're a casual gamer or a hardcore esports competitor, there's something for everyone in the world of gaming.

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