开发者谈2018年值得注意的6个电子游戏趋势

原文作者：Larry Alton 译者：Megan Shieh

趋势一：更多克隆式手游

大多数开发商做手游都是为了盈利，不是为了证明自己的能力或试图改变市场；因此他们会希望从已经取得过成功的开发商那里获得灵感。这就导致了一个猖獗的模仿问题，而这一问题估计不会在短时间内消失。对于玩家而言，好消息是你可以拥有更多选项，你喜欢的游戏结构和主题会被多家开发商以多种不同形式呈现出来；但同时你也会看到更少创新内容。

趋势二：开箱机制（Loot Box）将卷土重来

最近几年开发商越来越偏爱“付费赢”模式，其中也包括臭名昭著的开箱机制。在这一风波中，最为显著的例子要属EA。尽管EA为此惹上了很多麻烦，玩家的愤怒也致使该公司股价应声暴跌，但开箱机制并没有消失，它只是正在进行回炉改造，日后会以一种玩家更能接受的形式东山再起——毕竟这类机制能帮开发商多赚很多钱。

age of empires castle siege(from develop-online)

趋势三：游戏跳票

如果你今年最期待的游戏迟迟没有发布，不要感到惊讶。大型游戏跳票也不是一次两次了，而‘预计发行日期’和‘实际发行日期’的时间间隔也越来越长了。游戏公司面临着尽快发行游戏的压力，但他们也必须确保发行出去的游戏没有任何bug，否则他们会面临早期流失大量玩家的风险。简单来说就是定下发行日期时太过乐观，研发后期为了防止实际损失又必须处处做到完美，因而延迟了发行时间。

趋势四：更多“游戏即服务”型产品

2018年，我们还将看到更多游戏即服务型产品的推出。市面上会出现更多混合型订阅服务，更少以固定、统一价格出售的单个游戏。PlayStation就是一个很好的例子，但即使是个别的3A游戏，也可能会选择这个模式作为从它们的狂热粉丝那里捞更多钱的一种方式。
趋势五：Switch平台上的独立游戏将更为精炼

任天堂Switch的最大优势之一是它吸引小众独立游戏的能力，其中许多都已经变得非常成功。然而在2018年，竞争会变得更加激烈，大部分玩家会开始被最热门或最有潜力的游戏吸引。因此我们会看到越来越少独立游戏在Switch上推出，而该平台上的现有热门独立游戏将累积越来越多的优势。

趋势六：独占斗争

索尼和微软多年来一直在争夺独家第三方游戏，但到2018年这场斗争将愈演愈烈。目前索尼似乎更胜一筹，旗下拥有像《战神（God of War）》和《漫威蜘蛛侠（Spider-Man）》这样的热门游戏，但这只会促使微软加大投资力度，加强其独占游戏阵容。对于绝大多数玩家而言（除土豪之外），这意味着他们必须选择或更换阵营，然后无论另一边出了什么好玩的独占游戏，他们都只能干瞪眼。

总结

我们正在进入一个新的游戏时代，接下来的一两年将在很大程度上决定这个时代的未来。大型游戏公司以及我们作为消费者所做的选择，将会推动新型游戏体验的出现以及整个游戏产业的发展方向。

本文由游戏邦编译，转载请注明来源，或咨询微信zhengjintiao

7 Gaming Trends to Look Out for in 2018

It’s an exciting time to be a gamer. With multiple high-performing platforms available, including the new contender of the Nintendo Switch, the onset of virtual reality (VR), and the ever-present option of gaming on your mobile phone, hundreds of companies are competing to bring the best possible games—and new, revolutionary types of gaming experiences—to market.

So what does 2018 have in store for us?

Biggest Video Game Trends

These are some of the biggest video game trends to look forward to in 2018:

1. More copycat mobile games.

Mobile games are a big business, in every sense of the word. Most mobile game developers are out to make a profit, rather than break any barriers or try to change the market; accordingly, they want to take inspiration from developers who have already found success. This has led to arampant game cloning issue, which is unlikely to go away anytime soon. The good news for gamers is that you’ll get more options following the game structures and themes you already like; but you’ll also see less innovation. The rise in mobile game popularity has also led to an increase in distracted driving incidents, so make sure you continue to game responsibly.

2. Loot boxes.

For the past couple of years, companies have been gravitating toward more pay-to-win features, including notorious “loot boxes,” which offer advanced armor, weapons, and other items to gamers in exchange for real-world currency. The most notorious offender in 2017 was EA, whose stock price fell in response to gamer outrage over the proposed microtransactions in Star Wars Battlefront II. Loot boxes aren’t going away, however; they’re simply going to transform to become more accepted. Gaming studios want to make more money, and loot boxes are the best way to do it.

3. Delays.

Don’t be surprised if the game you’re looking forward to the most this year gets delayed. Major game titles have a history of getting delayed, and the gap between expectation and reality is growing bigger. Studios are pressured to release as soon as possible, but they also have to make sure the launch is bug free—or else face a PR disaster from disappointed early-stage gamers. The result is an overoptimistic projected launch date and late-stage perfectionism preventing the actual loss.

4. Games-as-a-service.

In 2018, we’ll also see the rollout of more games-as-a-service type offerings. Rather than selling individual games for a fixed, all-in-one price, we’ll start to see more hybrid subscription services. PlayStation Now is a good example of this, but even individual AAA titles may opt for the model as a way to get more money from their most ardent fans.

5. Indie refinement on the Switch.

One of the Switch’s most impressive qualities is its ability to attract niche indie games, many of which have become very successful. However, in 2018, competition will get much tighter, and people will start gravitating only toward the games with the most hype or the biggest potential. Accordingly, we’ll start to see a smaller number of indie developers pushing their titles, and accumulated advantage for the most popular indie titles on the platform.

6. Exclusive wars.

Sony and Microsoft have always fought over exclusives, but the war is going to heat up in 2018. Sony appears to be ahead of the game for now, with much-hyped titles like God of War and Spider-Man, but all that’s going to do is push Microsoft to invest more and try harder to beef up its exclusive lineup. For most gamers, that means needing to pick a side, switch sides, or yearn for all the titles on the platform you didn’t choose.

7. Progress toward a new generation.
Though predictions on the rollout of new generation of consoles varies, there’s no denying that both the PS4 and Xbox One are already 5 years old. In video game terms, 5 years is pushing the limits of gamer patience. Expect to see at least an announcement of the next generation of consoles in development.

Toward a New Era

We’re starting to enter a new era of gaming, and the next year or two will be the primary determinants of how that era develops. The choices major gaming companies make, as well as the ones we make as consumers, will drive the development of new generations of consoles, new types of gaming experiences, and the shape of the industry as a whole. （Source: www.i4u.com  ）