Game Informer 2010 Industry Predictions

With the flood of highly-anticipated titles set to release early this year it's definitely a great time to be a gamer. As 2010 rolls along, game companies will make even more announcements about upcoming games and tech that will further excite us and eventually empty our wallets. To kick off the year, Game Informer editors present their predictions of what is to come in 2010 and beyond regarding game announcements, upcoming technology, industry happenings and more. Again, these are simply predictions, but it will be interesting to see if any come true. Read on to find out what the editors have to say, then head on over to the comments section to agree with or dispute any predictions, or simply provide predictions of your own.

E3 and Game Announcements

Adam: Free-to-play stuff will be everywhere. Western companies (beyond Sony Online and Turbine) will finally start taking this stuff seriously. We’ll see some very intriguing announcements about extending the free-to-play plus microtransaction model to consoles. EA made a fantastic beachhead with Battlefield Heroes, but managed to completely screw it up by severely limiting the free-to-play part of the game several months after launch. Who will do it right? Will it come internally or through a partnership with companies like Nexon and Perfect World? Those are the big questions.

Tim: I have a strong feeling that we aren’t going to hear anything from Nintendo about the new Wii Zelda, Super Mario Galaxy 2, or Metroid: Other M until E3. I have a strong feeling that the company will be touting those huge titles in conjunction with a revamped Nintendo Wii. Microsoft and Sony have both dramatically altered their core system schematics, and perhaps now is the time for an HD Wii. On Microsoft and Sony’s front I bet we hear about the future of motion control, along with huge first- and third-party titles which will utilize the tech. It’s likely too soon after the release of the PSP Go to see the PSP 2, but that doesn’t mean that Microsoft can’t pull out a wildcard and announce their foray into handheld gaming. It’s going to be crazy.

Helgeson: Activision announces a new Gun game after the success of Red Dead Redemption, and Sony announces a proper PS3 Syphon Filter game they’ve been working on for a while.

Nick: I think Grid 2 is pretty much a given at this point. I'm also going to put it out there that DJ Hero 2 will be announced a bit before E3 this year. Also a new GRAW will be seen.

Phil: Along with the incredible amount of exciting releases already planned for 2010, I think we’re going to see a steady stream of new announcements to get psyched for. In particular, I fully expect a couple of huge announcements from Rockstar. In addition to finding out more about some of their upcoming titles that we’re still fuzzy on – like L.A. Noir and Agent – I think we’ll hear the first rumblings on the next Grand Theft Auto this year, whether that ends up being GTA5 or GTA4: Some Other City. I’m also hopeful that the rumors we’ve heard of late will come true and we’ll see Bully 2 announced, but that may just be a personal desire as a huge fan of the original Bully.

Of course, we’ll also hear some big stuff from console manufacturers. Nintendo’s surely finally going to show off the next console Zelda game at this year’s E3, and I’m sure they have some new, casual-friendly titles to show off – perhaps new iterations of Wii Fit or Wii Sports. I would be shocked if Sony and Insomniac didn’t have Resistance 3 prepped and ready to go this fall. Coming off of such long-awaited releases as God of War 3 and Gran Turismo 5, hopefully Sony will have some other exciting announcements too. A new Motorstorm? Wipeout? Twisted Metal? Maybe even Killzone 3 earlier than expected? All are distinct possibilities.

And what about Microsoft? Good question. Compared to Sony and Nintendo, Microsoft is definitely hurting for first-party and exclusive games. Gears of War 3 is probably on the way, but beyond that I’d kill for a new Banjo-Kazooie game, but I think it’s more likely that Rare is working on something new to utilize the upcoming Natal technology.

Jeff M: I think Modnation Racers is going to be another surprise hit for Sony, boosting the company’s assertion that “Play, Create, Share” is the future of gaming, and leading into the announcement of another PS3-exclusive title geared toward user-made content at this year’s E3. I think Microsoft will also announce its own community content-oriented title in an attempt to steal Sony’s thunder, while it secretly tries to figure out a way to monetize such an endeavor.

Jeff C: Microsoft will focus on Project Natal this E3, giving it a final name that angers the hardcore. Fans retaliate by creating dozens of image macros, none of which are funny. The bulk of the company’s E3 stage presentation focuses on Not-Natal and other more mainstream releases, such as another massively multiplayer casual game in the same vein as Xbox Live’s 1 Versus 100. Not-Natal is also priced at $80. At the end of the presentation, Fallout: New Vegas is shown for the first time onstage.

Sony reveals a trailer for Twisted Metal PS3 and a teaser for Infamous 2 that’s essentially a logo with a voiceover. DC Universe Online is played onstage, but Jim Lee refuses to do any pushups. Sony officially gives a name to its motion controller wand, which makes it much easier for editors to write about the device.

After showing off the new Wii Zelda, Nintendo highlights the pulse sensor it first announced at last year’s E3. In addition to helping users relax, the device works in conjunction with a redesigned Wii Fit-style program that generates actual workout routines based on user data. Nintendo also announces a new Kid Icarus game for the DS.

Technology

Adam: Nintendo has to do something to get the Wii moving in the right direction after a disappointing second half of 2009, which is why I don’t think we’ll see anything terribly exciting at E3 this year with regard to the Wii. The company will trot out the DSi XL, Metroid: Other M, and some second-tier stuff while touting the huge numbers that Wii has already done. 2011 is the year that Nintendo will make moves. Natal and Sony’s motion tech will both work far better than anybody expects, especially after the imprecise Wii remote that we’re used to. Natal will be much better supported, though, and cheaper for consumers. Sony will have a couple awesome first- and second-party games to showcase their new controller, but Microsoft is going to all but relaunch the 360 with Natal. OnLive and similar services are going to tank in the hardest way possible. Maybe a step up from the Phantom, but not by much.

Tim: I’m having a hard time predicting what the hell is going to happen with Natal and Sony’s motion control. I think gamers are still really gun-shy after the Wii’s revolutionary-turned-casual gaming, and the 360 and PS3’s motion control viability will remain under scrupulous eyes until something groundbreaking happens (like a 1:1 shooter that actually controls well, or the ultimate Star Wars Jedi simulator). I have similar feeling about the advancement of 3D gaming. I don’t feel the hardcore audience feels these ideas are necessarily the next step in the evolution of the consoles, and will be harder to sell on the whole thing. I think gamers would get more excited if Nintendo, Microsoft, or Sony simply announced their next console.

Kato: I have a feeling that Sony’s going to drop the ball when it comes to the launch of their motion controller. Not because the device isn’t technically good enough, but because this thing has marketing disaster written all over it. It’s supposed to be coming out before March, and the *** thing doesn’t even have an official name yet. And if they’ve decided to just roll on with “Sony Motion Controller,” then they need more help than I thought. Quick quiz: What’s Microsoft’s motion controller called? The point is that Microsoft’s entry has been definable and captured the zeitgeist since day one, while Sony has gone the usual nerdy route of talking about its effort in terms of its tech specs first (just like the PS3). Yawn. You want to excite people with your product? Don’t bore them first. Like it or not, I think Sony will be the loser of the motion controller wars, and it will have nothing to do with tech or games, unfortunately. It will be because consumers will see the device as a half-assed peripheral, and I know exactly where they got that idea from.

Helgeson: Next Fable is announced to be a Natal game. Delayed.

Nick: Beyond the obvious motion stuff, I think Sony or Microsoft will announce that consoles will be updated to work with 120-240Hz TVs as a standard, and no one will care even though these are going to play into the 3D tech that's starting to emerge (which people also won't care about, at least not this year). ESPN will let us know for sure with their new 3D soccer matches.

Phil: In a lot of ways, this will be the year of motion controls with both Sony and Microsoft finally getting their motion control-based add-ons. That said, I hope it will also be the year that the industry finally realizes that simply tacking badly-done motion controls onto a regular game won’t work. Games utilizing this tech really should be designed from the ground up for that purpose, and that should continue to be only a portion of games released on any one platform.

Jeff C: OnLive gets a wide release, but the streaming-games service fails to catch on in any significant way.

Industry

Tim: I have a feeling the triple-A title push-backs of late 2009 are going to bleed all the way into 2010. I think we’re going to see games slated for Q2 of 2010 coming out later in the year, or in straight-up 2011. It’s not necessarily an ideal situation, but at least that would mean more time to finish all the amazing titles that are being dumped on us right now. For some reason seeing Blizzard release a WoW expansion and StarCraft II in the same year feels like a tall tale to me. We’ll see.

Helgeson: A few more companies hop on the 3D bandwagon with games compatible with the new 3D TVs like Avatar is.

Phil: On The Game Informer Show podcast a few weeks ago I made the wild and totally unfounded prediction that perhaps the next new console would come from Apple. Although I agree with Tim that a Wii HD from Nintendo would be excellent, I’d like to continue spreading this totally baseless Apple allegation. iGame in 2010!

That's it for us. What industry predictions do you have for 2010? Sound off in the comments section below. Also, be sure to check out the upcoming issue of Game Informer (202) for "The Road Ahead." In this feature, Kato picks the brains of experts and industry analysts for predictions on what's to come this year.