While I don't necessarily like them... Sports games.

When is the last time you saw the formula change to something more interesting with the usual yearly updated games, to something entirely new?

There has got to be some new angle to take for the years ahead, although the sales numbers don't lie. Can people keep playing almost the same game for another ten years, with graphical updates every new generation?

I imagine VR might be a step forward, giving you a first person view of the action in online games like FIFA, when you play as one member of a team.

Beyond that, who knows, but it is the genre that needs a boot up the arse the most.

Open World games. There can be more emphasis on enclosing segments to create a more story based narrative and experience.

I think action RPGs could stand to evolve. It's one of my favorite genres, but they really haven't done much to evolve it. Path of Exile has probably done the most, with a deep progression system and a semi MMO hub setup. I'd like to see a more seamless singplayer/multiplayer system that manages to move beyond the standard cookie cutter builds.

3rd person horror games, with the evil within shinji mikami did an awesome job and i know that he can do better... maybe with the kurayami game he wanted to do with suda 51

Car Combat. Its been YEARS since a good arena - style car combat game (ie Twisted Metal) has hit consoles.

As far as how they should evolve, just imagine a TM-style game with modern graphics, AI, physics (destructable environments) and online multiplayer (along with a SP campaign ala TM and fighting games, of course). They could even attempt a BR mode if they must lol (it really could work if you think about it)

Open world games for the most part need to change it up. The usual formula is stale at this point.

I think metroidvania as a genre has pretty much stayed the same over the years. While there have been plenty of amazing games in the genre there still remains huge potential in terms of both graphics and gameplay.

The Survival Horror genre needs to base it's fear on more real events. That way it can feel more believable and therefore more scary to the player because you know it can happen.

In some way or another I think fighting games need a rework. I'm not even sure how they'd do it because there's not a lot that can be changed. Maybe make between fights more involving in some way. I am choosing this genre because of my reaction to the Mortal Kombat announcement. When they revealed it at the VGAs I wasnt bothered! A game that was once a favourite of mine all through childhood and my teenage years has gone stale to me. Make another Shaolin Monks instead and mix it up I think.

Also thanks a million Christopher. Seeing my name up there made getting up for work at 7.30 on a Sunday much easier to chew ha (I'm still going to answer every day for the fun though)

Have to go with VR

Having getting a PSVR during Black Friday and catching up to some of the popular games highlighted the potential in the platform. Really something you have to experience yourself as very difficult to explain (watching movies in VR is also great).

I imagine due to it being quite new and lower install base than consoles & PC, not much full fledged games are made for it due to the risk. As the platform matures, I imagine we see more AAA titles for the platform.

Story driven/horror games. Sure there's been some good horror games like Insomnia,Until Dawn, Layers of Fear, Outlast, RE7, hell Perception was a unique take but for the most part it's not scary.

Detroit was exceptional and I imagine the PS5 will usher in games that push the boundaries but I hope the expand and develop more horror games with the level of a Detroit and bring horror games up to where it's really unsettling!

It has to be VR. I'm not familiar how other VR systems work than PSVR since it is only VR I have ever played. I believe it'll evolve to have much more clear and higher resolution displays and it will come completely wireless at some point. I'm not sure what Sony got for PS5 but I can image it being much more powerful.

Vr has a very good future ahead.
Jack in

VR, it needs new controlers and less wires. Also, a new hardware with next gen is needed so that regular games can be ported with not much difference in fidelity.

Horror games

RPG's. You should be able to upgrade more than your stats.

Shooters. Theyre all the same, just grab a gun and shoot bad guys usually aliens, terrorists, or an opposing country. I mean its expected theyre all like this but Id like to see some sorta evolution if its possible. Not sure how it could evolve though, its a tough one lol.

Open world games ,with a few exceptions,are pretty much saturated..The whole "go to the tower and unlock the map" thing is so boring after all these games.New ways should be found for progressing in-game..I hope KJP brings something new with Death Stranding.

p.s. I think you mean "DAY 8" :P

All genres with the VR and new technologies.

2D scrolling beat 'm ups.

It's been over 25 years orso since Streets of Rage 2, considered by many to still be the best in the genre. Perhaps Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in SNES comes very very close.

It's absolutely ridiculous to me that in this day and age, we still haven't really seen a new champion to that throne, considering the advances made in both technology as well as gameplay.

Consider this: The cell-shaded 2D/3D graphical style perfected by Arc 2 this gen (Guilty Gear, Dragon Ball FighterZ), but used in a 2D Beat 'M Up.
Incorporate DMC/Ninja Gaiden-style combinations, incorporate different weapons, incorporate environmental interactions (like those in Mad World, Sleeping Dogs, Yakuza, Punisher, Yakuza, whatever), incorporate 2 players combination, and possible 3 & 4 players combinations/attacks.

If Sega would do such a game (and they should), they should take the Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed path, and just make it a complete Sega Love-fest, with characters, stages, rewards, music etc etc from across all their popular games. So in one of the levels you might be walking and beating up folks on an Aircraft Carrier to the pimped up new soundtrack of After Burner, while jets fly over. You might even have stage-specific attacks involving those jets, or punching them into one's engine, or whatever.
You might have a few levels in Kamurocho, from Yakuza, and obviously Kiryu would be one of the characters playable/unlockable, perhaps after you have first beat him as a boss...

On so many levels, there is so much room for improvements in this genre, mostly because it's been dumped and dropped since the 32 bit era. Of course, there have been a few games coming along in the genre, but it has never come close to living up to its potential.

I have no idea why Capcom isn't doing this, or why Sega or even Konami isn't doing this. It was, and to many still is, a beloved genre. Also, with the 3D/2D cell-shaded graphical style, you could just go absolutely nuts with the environments and special effects and attacks etc, while still keeping that 2D gameplay.

I know Streets of Rage 4 has been announced, a cartoony 2D sprite-based looking follow-up to Streets of Rage 3 (duh), but it looks nowhere near as good or ambitious as you would hope for such a popular license. Doesn't mean it won't be fun, but considering the possibilities we have in this day and age, and learning from great games in other genres, I feel there's so much potential to do something really special with that genre....

For me its VR

The Open World genre, it is necessary a better dynamic world and natural missions or activities to do.

I think fps does, for VR whether multiplayer or singleplayer. But to be fair basically any genre within VR can push further forward

Shoot em ups/Turn-based RPGs. I combined that for a reason. Undertale. the combat in Undertale if you choose to be violent is like an old-fashioned shoot 'em up. It's a great concept. I'd like to see someone either Toby or anyone else expand on the idea. Throw a little SMT mechanics in getting the enemy to join your side but they also are able to talk to enemies not just fight them. Also like a weapon in R-Type it can give you a power-up in the Undertale battle system. You can stack them so maybe your character doesn't level up with stats and armor but your heart in the combat (like Undertale) does with new power-ups as you progress.

Open world games yea, it’s potential to tell a narratively driven story is huge and does not have enough emphasize from developers (in general, there are cases that nails it)

Roguelikes! They should have always more impact on choices.

Survival games. There’s a lot out right now but with a lot of bugs or sometimes over doing it. I love the genre but no one has really got it right for me yet. I can see someone making a game with the right amount of pvp and I’ve element and not too much emphasis on drinking water or such. Ark had too much grind in it with insane taming times at first just for someone to ruin it all while you were offline.

First Person Shooters old school type =)

Vr has a long way to go, but the potential is most definetly there. My whole family loves vr, kiddos could care less about the graphix. I on the other hand prefer the higher end resolution of the vive pro. The immersion in vr is next to none. Developers are finding new way to implement their games inyo vr. It is definetly still in its infancy, really hoping it takes off and dosen't become a fad.

VR - We're still pretty much at the beginning of VR and there is tons of room to grow. Hoping they are able to make VR games with the scope and capabilities of regular games.

After playing Resident evil and Firewall on PSVR I think VR will be amazing in the future ....if companies put some time into it

Open world games, If developers would get rid of the idea that the size of the world equals the quality I think we could start getting much better games.

RTD/Simulation/ City builder. So far they have been relativly small scale. But I want to know why the concept of Spore was never improved upon. I've had this idea of a game that was playable at every-level.

Vr shooters.

In an (almost) entirely non-pervy way, I'd say we're at a stage where a high quality AO game can find commercial success. I'm not referring to the niche graphic novel stuff making the headlines lately, either.

With digital distribution, a publisher doesn't have to worry about offending the Walmarts of the world. I think it's only a matter of time before someone gives us a gritty, intense, and uncensored AAA quality title filled with all the sex, gore, and profanity the devs want to include - without censorship.

I would love it if old school, sprite based run and gun games could be remade or iterated upon using newer/different animation and rendering techniques. I love the classic pixel art style but I salivate at the idea of Metal Slug or Contra being made with today's technology.

Similar to my answer to yesterday's question, I am going to go with simulation games once again. More and more simulation games have been getting attention when in the past they were just a niche PC genre that few cared about. Now we have games like Farming Simulator 19 coming to consoles and seeming to do fairly well. To take another question's answer, VR is a huge leap forward for simulations and there is so much potential to make that great. Sim games will never be as popular as action games, but with more and more people wanting realistic features in games, it's not such a hard crossover for players as it once was and as technology progresses, I think simulation games will keep getting better and better as time goes on.

Open world games with contained areas with narratives and side quests that aren't fetching this and that.
I think the whole idea of side quests need to be refreshed. There needs to be more brainstorming on what is applicable to the game and what could be done on the side that doesn't feel out of place.
I am not into fishing quests or anything that breaks the pace of the game, unless it is after the game to enhance the experience.

I would like to see fantasy rpg's evolve in a way that would focus on both visuals and the actual story. It seems that in many cases these days it's a choice between the two (look at Dragon Age Origins vs Inquisition). Also, make the worlds more interactive, make your choices really have an impact.

Souls-like
We've seen how studios like ninja theory abd duck13 can take fromsoftware's genre into new directions. We've seen indie games take on the genre too(salt&and sanctuary)

I believe that fromsoft is kinda stepping away from the genre (i cant say sekiro is a souls game since it lacks alot of what makes a souls-like special like stamina, rpg elements multiple weapons )
I believe many devs will be more encouraged to take a shot with their own ideas

I’d like to see these GaaS franchises do something bold/different, instead of being grindy shallow experiences. I don’t have a specific genre, but I want more interaction with the world, and the npcs that inhabit it.

Horror games. I think the key to these games is really placing a good amount of stress on the player. You need them to feel a sense of vulnerability whether it's low ammo, low health, etc.

VR. Combine it with MMOS and it has massive potential. It does what 3D couldn't. It also has the potential to make evey genre into a new experience.

VR hands down.
This medium will only get better and cheaper as time passes allowing for a more expansive and immersive experiences. I have a PSVR set up and it’s pretty cool. Looking forward to the PS5’s iteration.

Maybe JRPGs, have the armor and weapons you equip to your party characters have more bonuses or effects, like how you equip armor/weapons in Diablo and other RPGs and they have effects. Some may do this, but few.

I think Tell Tale was on to something but they failed to evolve or improve. I think this genre has lots of potential as shown by games like Detroit. Gamers want to see consequences from the choices that they make.

I think games based on tabletop RPGs have a ton of room to grow. Character creation, choice, impactful decisions and the theme well is endless. Yes, we have CyberPunk coming, but to me that's just the tip of the iceberg. We have games like Apocalypse World, Call of Cthulhu (needs to be done better), Vampire: The Masquerade (even a remake of bloodlines), World of Darkness, a proper D&D, Delta Green, The Unexplained and etc

I see game publishers hooking up with Super Hero franchises, but I would like to see what would happen if more companies pulled a CD Projekt and teamed up other tabletop RPG publishers.

FPS/RPG. I like where CD Projekt Red is going with Cyberpunk 2077. A real FPS, RPG in an open world. I think that game will be the first to break FPS out of the doldrums that it has been in with the CoD and Battlefield rinse and repeat cycle that has been going on for years.

I would say without a doubt VR. The big challenge ahead will be to not only improve the resolution but to make it more interactive. The goal should be to imagine games where players can put a virtual representation of themselves into a game and play accordingly. Imagine running, jumping, fighting in reality to have your character mimic your actions in game.

Horror games. They need to create a system where the frights and scares are random so each playthrough or even if you restart at a checkpoint after dying will be almost brand new, you'll never see what's coming. I suppose you could say things like Alien Isolation did this with the Alien randomly coming out but I mean certain events that happen during the game, think of Dead Space when you are walking along a corridor and a Necromorph bursts out of a vent...why couldn't they change that in another playthrough where he bursts out of a locker you pass just next to the vent.

i would definitely say VR/AR.. ive recently played RE7 on psvr and damnnn that was so immersive.. hopefully we would see Valve make their next game solely around VR.. looking at u HalfLife3

Cooperative gaming and sharing in the campaign for all players.

I think the action RPG can evolve, but in a way that pays homage to classics like link to the past. I believe that progression should continue to be linked to skill, discovery, and equipment; however, levels and numerical stats should be replaced by a more organic approach that makes sense in the game world (what that is I don't know) and should be represented by how the player character appears and moves throughout the world. The whole concept of a skill tree can be incorporated into this system while doing away with the menu page that shows it. That way skills become more than just something to unlock, and rather something that can be discovered, which would in essence increase their wonder and necessity in the game world.

As gaming tech advances I believe VR as well as racing simulation games will advance to the point that it will be used for professional use.

VR is always improving almost every 6 months or so and games like iracing and Gran Turismo show what could be possible on the simulation side of things, as some professional drivers already use those games as practice.

VR with some more genres like watching from above a ff tactics type game.
Also shooters getting better ai instead of generic hide pop out and shoot

I believe vr has so much more potiental we are past the beginning stages of vr. Consumers have them in their homes it's time to expand on the Content instead of just fps they need action adventures, better horrors, or even try to just get into the strategy side of things something like ( tropico, mercenaries, mutant year zero or something like that. Their more than enough games that has a first person. But i think it came be in spead across all genres.

Augmented reality will when it hits the market, sure there are some glasses out there but nothing practical yet. I do believe it will mainstream one day when it becomes universally affordable, the features it can use will truly change the current gaming experience.

I'd say horror games, especially VR ones

Server enhanced games/cloud. What Microsoft was suppose to do with Xbox one. I think there is great potential to not limiting games to existing hard.

I would definitely have to say MMO’s as well. I think they have found the perfect formula and stuck with it for so long but at this point it is no longer the case. There needs to be a large change to I think character design, classes, quests and so forth. I love me a good MMO but start to lose faith after a while so I quit.

Yeah I would say horror for sure. P.T. Already kinda showed a huge leap. If someone could do that, but actually finish it, then that would be incredible lol.

I think interactive open world gamed like Red Dead Redemption have evolved and pushed technology and I think we'll see more of those interactive world elements to make immersion into believable living worlds even greater in the future.

I would have to say the virtual reality has a ton of potential to immerse us in worlds even deeper than currently capable. Once the developers begin to get on a roll with deeper, more complex games built for VR, instead of simply being ported (like Skyrim), we are going to get a hell of an experience. The issue now is that its niche, and the install base isn't large due the cost of it being an extra peripheral. This makes it difficult for developers to justify incredibly long development times with huge dev teams for an audience of only a few million. If VR picks up though, we are gonna have some incredibly deep and immersive titles on our hands. Hell, I haven't used my VR headset since Resident Evil 7 since it scared the sh*t out me so badly haha. Lesson learned, no horror games for me in VR.

I am pretty sure western rpgs have a lot of potential. Don't get me wrong; I love the Witcher series, Skyrim, Dragon Age and the like, but I just feel like these games could be such more if the just emphasized the story and gameplay elements more: characetrs relationships with other npc's, meaningful chocies (with real consequences), more freedom on weapon use and customization. Finally, I just wish more studios would consider making rpg's with 16th to 18th century settings; it just feels like there are only a handful of these.

Definitely want some advancement on open world games. There were a ton in this generation but many of them felt really similar and are starting to get stale.

A greater emphasis on the quality of the world and tying more meaningful lore and landmarks to specific areas would make them less forgettable. The wonder of discover is lost often when I find a new place and there really isn't much to do.

Also maybe more interesting methods of traversing the world, that'd be really nice. Besides the typical horse that we can ride, maybe some flying or underwater traversal would be really cool. The skells in xenoblade x was a really magical moment for me just because of how much freedom it opened up in terms of areas and combat possibilities (tho the combat could have been better admittedly).

Fighting games, they need to stop doing those weird combinations of buttons for a combo, i remember playing killer instinct on snes, now i like the combo system and how you trigger it.

Another topic I've been tempted to blog about. To go with a more unexpected answer: walking simulators. On the surface, it seems strange to say considering the implications of "walking sim" seems restrictive already. But I think where it can go is continuing the route of lighter gameplay elements being bolstered not by statistical depth but in harmonizing story with gameplay in ways that reinvent old expectations. There's been several examples since the ripe year of '13 (Gone Home and full release of The Stanley Parable) that've done just that, but I think more adventure elements will find a way to seep their way in.

I think the best method of evolving it is in respect to tying gameplay philosophies with storytelling. An example in Firewatch: playable character has a walkie-talkie that acts as both building character and the means of the character talking to himself/herself as they would in point-n-click adv games. It's more about those subtle "a-ha!" advances which also blend with the overarching themes of the story.

The lite rpg such as Fallout 4, Assassins Creed etc have penitential. The issue I is they've really don't have the rp aspect to them, they're really just 1st, or 3rd person shooters with unlocks as you go. In fallout they need to change the way that hacking or lock picking works. They can allow you to attempt to unlock higher levels locks and terminals, but give you less chances or a harder puzzle to crack, and as you increase those skill by actually successfully picking/hacking, reading books the solutions become easier to your character.

I’m always a little surprised RPGs haven’t grown more. I mean, you’re already picking from a pretty hardcore pool of players, I’d imagine it would be a little easier to take risks. There are so many cool turns you could take in a genre that gives players that much control over the world and the progression of their characters, but mainstream RPGs still tend to play things relatively safe.

VR horror games. There's a ton of potential there but too many games just rely on jump scares and creepy audio. I want a VR horror game to give me a felling/sense of dread. Sure, creepy audio is nice, but you know 90% of what you hear is just audio filler. It isn't real. And rather than just jump scares, be more creative.

The Coen brothers do this audio trick in No Country For Old Men where everything you hear exists in the scene. Every sound is real, nothing added for effect. Even music. And that makes it more believable.

Imagine a VR horror game where every sound you hear is something happening in the actual game world, not just creepy effects like babies crying for no reason. Every footstep you hear, every door opening or closing, etc., is actually the villain/pursuer interacting with the environment. If you hear something fall it's because the villain actually dropped something or pushed something over.

I don't know, there are lots of ways to improve the genre, that's just one idea I've always thought about.

I think the genre with the most potential to advance into something far greater is, for sure, MMOs, especially MMORPGs.

Even to this day, they're almost the same thing that they were when they were first showing up. At least MMOs like RuneScape and Ultima Online were, and still are, unique. The Elder Scrolls Online was a step in the right direction with it having actual story elements, being fully voiced, and its decent enough combat, but it still has some of that ancient MMO feel and game design.

We have "survival" games like Rust and the slower paced Life Is Feudal, but they have no direction or gameplay other than basically just being deathmatch game. I haven't played Fallout 76, but it seems to be little more than being the same, but maybe with some fetch-quest missions? These types of games, though, could be a decent foundation for what an MMO should be in the future. We're still a long way from it, but maybe eventually we could get something like Life Is Feudal mixed with Mount & Blade and ESO (and even RuneScape with it's actual fun quests) in a full VR experience.

Open world games have a lot of room for advancement, we're starting to see some of it.

Too many open world games are paint-by-the-numbers. I'm hoping next generation we see some games with complex systems running constantly throughout the world. Imagine a complex weather system that directly affects the world? Including tornado (like Just Cause 4), thunderstorms, etc . . . Or more things like the Nemesis system from Shadows of Mordor. Maybe an open world game that takes place in the middle of a war and at has dynamic warring factions that you can stumble upon in the middle of a massive battle at any time?

City management games with VR. Imagine having virtual walk in your city :-)

Open world games, especiallt with RPG mechanics. Many of them rely on the same tropes, and story telling can be difficult.

I think there should be a greater sense of urgency, and less Ubisoft-like structures. Less emphasis on collectibles just for the sake of it. There should be branching story segments, and the decisions you’ve made should feel impactful. Fallout 3 did that years ago with Nuketown.

Sports games, specifically Madden. Not only does it feels the same every year but they still use the same plays from 10 years ago. They really need to add in some new plays that the offenses are running nowadays. The AI also needs to be improved.

I think the potential for randomly generated games is something that hasn't been fully realized yet. I think this because I'm of the opinion that if someone were to randomly generate portions of the game while keeping some of it with actually non randomly generated portion getting the right mix together you can create something special and unique that'll last for some time.

VR. Hopefully it continues to get better and with less wires.

Horror games. I think a lot of what is available now uses jump scares for the majority of their "horror" and there could be so much more done to push the limits and put fear into the players experiences.

gonna give a mention to large scale FPS like Battlefield about time the average player counts took a bump

VR games for sure

I think strategy games are due to make a comeback. Games like Command and Conquer have been fairly quiet. Perhaps incorporating some deeper gameplay by adding elements from some action games to help turn a tide of battle on the battlefield by taking a role of a warrior and aiming specifically at a target on a mission while the orders have been given on the overhead, the role of a pilot in the skies, or the driver of a vehicle,...

Just a thought.

MMO games that can tell a good story and integrate some good single player content would be a welcome advancement.

Tell me again how the multiplatform strategy was supposed to fix everything. Look at your results and compare them to Nintendo, which keeps thriving with exclusives. Your loyal fans are gone. And let’s not forget the pile of IPs you purchased only to let them rot.

The worst thing is this is down from last years numbers/expectations which was down from the previous years numbers/expectations. You think about how long “down” has been a consistent part of the communication and you realize those subscriptions are what’s holding that boat together. The price cut of gamespass is still a price raise in a string of price raises. They are trying to use players to offset the missing revenue. Now call of duty is out of gamespass, which is literally WHY they bought the company. To draw people to the subscription. They realized they missed a boatload of money and that wasn’t sustainable. Now you pay for it like you would have if they never bought the company… so why buy the company? Mind you those billions still need to be paid back. Yeah it gives you a chance to say we make the biggest FPS… but the internal conversations must be brutal at high level on topics that really matter. Like revenue. Profitability. And ROI for the shopping spree.

Is this like the 10th quarter in a row they're down 33% on hardware how is that even mathematically possible. You would think their mediocrity would Plateau