2005: A Look Ahead

Posted on December 23, 2004

2004 proved that sex, violence and sequels can work in games as well as it does at the box office. In fact, "Sex and Sequels" is the headline of a CNN column that looks at what to expect from gaming in 2005. There is no question this trend of sex and violence will continue with games in 2005 -- however sales of these types of games could slow some if states manage to block the sale or renting of M-rated games to minors. So far this has been attempted but never successfully. The CNN article also mentioned some 2005 games that might be big hits including: F.E.A.R., God of War and Black. Other trends in 2005 will be the continuing explosion in online gaming. These types of games are seeing rapid subscription growth as well as active players willing to pay monthly for unlimited use. It remains to be seen whether online game providers will try and charge extra to heavy users.

An unfortunate trend in 2005 could be more ads in games,. And we could see more exclusive deals like the agreement Electronic Arts made with the NFL for Madden NFL Football. Next year we will also see new and improved game playing systems like the Xbox 2 and maybe the Phantom game system from Infinium Labs. CNN's Chris Morris said to look for the Xbox 2 in Q3 or Q4 of 2005 but the Phantom machine might have financial problems.

More from Gamers Game