4 gaming trends every marketer should know to stay relevant in 2024
2023 has been an amazing year for marketing and gaming. We’ve seen new brands enter this exciting domain, witnessed the growth of the creator economy and watched how technological advancements open new doors. Can it get even better? We at The Invaders channeled our inner Nostradamus and took a look into what 2024 will bring. Spoiler: it's looking very promising. These are the 4 trends you need to know to get the most out of gaming for your brand and start building a meaningful relation with gamers in 2024.
1. More and more brands want a piece of the gaming pie
If you've played Fortnite and Roblox last year, you know these games are extremely loved by big brands. Adidas, Doritos, Kellogg's and many more have built experiences and managed to gather billions of hours played. The success is undeniable, but it's getting crowded.
In 2024 even more brands will show up in these digital worlds. The first-mover advantage is no longer in effect and oversaturation is looming. If you want your brand to be successful in these games, being there won't be enough anymore. You need to stand out. Brands need to dive deeper into the gaming domain and look for new innovative ideas. In 2024 knowledge and experience within the gaming world will become even more important.
2. The creator economy is here to stay (and grow)
In 2023 we witnessed the rise of the creator economy: an ecosystem where individual creators leverage digital platforms to produce, distribute content, build an audience, and earn money for their work with various monetization strategies, and we expect 2024 to further empower creators.
Other developers will learn from the successful formula of Roblox and Fortnite, and find ways to turn their games into an experience hub and enhance audience engagement. The amount of creators will grow and therefore become an interesting new target audience for brands. Besides that all the new modification options will also result in many new branding opportunities.
3. Gaming is becoming even more accessible
There are currently around 3.2 billion people worldwide who play video games. We're talking about hardcore gamers who pull all-nighters, to commuters who play a casual game on their phone and everything in between.
This immense audience will grow even further in 2024. This is mostly because games will become even more accessible. Streaming giants like Amazon Prime and Netflix are embracing gaming on their platforms, and brands like Sony, Microsoft, and other tech companies are investing in cloud gaming' technical development that allows you to stream major games without the need to invest in high-end hardware. Playing a game will become more and more like streaming series or movies.
These advancements will only accelerate in 2024, allowing people around the world to play their favorite games wherever and whenever they want, without having to invest in expansive new hardware. This will result in a growing number of players and thus an even more interesting group for brands.
4. Esports will reemerge from hibernation
One of the most heavily used terms of 2023 within the gaming industry might be 'the esports winter'. Depicted as the downfall of the esports ecosystem, the phenomenon was used for every little setback and predicted the downfall of the industry.
Even though a lot of organizations collapsed under financial struggles, entire leagues vanished and some big brands decided to jump ship, 2023 overall was still a great year for the fans: online viewership records were broken, various games saw their highest prize pools ever and offline events showed the potential for (occasional) massive gatherings of fans.
Additionally, esports' funding is getting a lot of support from the middle east. This trend accelerates the growth of esports, but can also be unsettling and challenging for some brands when thinking about their brand image.
While it is still a relatively small part within the entire gaming industry, esports is here to stay and grow. Strategic niche marketing can be leveraged by brands to tap into this still evolving and exciting market full of dedicated gamers.
So what did we learn?
In recent years gaming has proved itself as a powerful medium for marketers. With the growing amount of players, new upcoming creator economy and the comeback of esports, the possibilities and impact of gaming will only grow in 2024. But entering this domain won't be easy. A basic Fortnite experience is no longer sufficient to stand out above the competition. It is no longer just about being present in the digital world, you need a good story and a reason for the gamer to accept your presence in their domain.
In order to achieve this and receive a positive response from the players, brands will need to have a better understanding of gaming culture and fully embrace gamers and their interests, in order to realise the best possible results for their campaign. This is the exact reason you need a specialist. If you want to get the most out of gaming for your brand in 2024, don't hesitate and reach out! Joris Presser.
Are you thinking of entering the world of gaming with your brand? And do you want to stay up to date on the latest trends and developments? Then make sure you follow us on Linkedin!
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