Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, announced the beginning of a new era in the gaming industry. During his speech at Unreal Fest in Seattle, he spoke about significant changes that affect the success of gaming projects.
According to Sweeney, Fortnite has reached record levels of popularity. The number of active users of the game reached 110 million during the last holiday season. This achievement, he said, happened against the backdrop of «generational change» in the gaming industry.
«One of the manifestations [of these changes] that we’re seeing now is that a lot of games are being released with high budgets, but they’re selling much worse than expected,» Sweeney said. «While other games are doing incredibly well. We’re seeing a real trend where players are gravitating towards really large-scale games where they can play with more of their friends».
Sweeney emphasized the importance of the social component in modern games. He noted that the value of a game increases in proportion to the number of friends with whom you can interact. This applies not only to joint play but also to voice communication, watching virtual concerts, and other online activities.
The head of Epic Games touched upon the topic of the metaverse, noting that people interpret this concept in different ways. Some people associate it with virtual and augmented reality projects, while others apply the term to Fortnite.
Sweeney believes that the future of the gaming industry lies in projects that are constantly evolving and updating. He gave the example of Fortnite, where global brands, musicians, and franchises create unique entertainment experience which is constantly changing.
Source: PCgamer