Opinion
Checking my game predictions: how clean was my crystal ball in 2023?
by Philipp Rüegg
My crystal ball is broken: how badly I messed up my gaming predictions for 2022
4/1/2023
Translation: Eva Francis
I made 23 bold predictions for gaming in 2022. Most of them were wrong. Here’s my sobering balance sheet.
Something’s wrong with my crystal ball. Do I even deserve the name Philstradamus? A year ago, I made 23 predictions about what exciting events 2022 would have in store for all gaming fans. Unfortunately, the quality of my predictions turned out to be as low as those of horoscopes in free daily newspapers. Time to take stock.
Steam will debut a subscription service – wrong
Looks like Microsoft’s Game Pass isn’t a serious competitor for Valve just yet. Steam still only offers games for purchase, not in a subscription model.
Xbox will catch up to PlayStation – almost correct, but wrong
Despite the immense success of Game Pass, the Xbox Series S/X hasn’t quite overtaken the Playstation 5. But it looks like this might still happen. After all, Microsoft increased its units sold by two million per year, while the PS5 has stagnated at 10.5 million. Nevertheless, Sony’s console was still sold around two million times more than the Xbox Series S and X in total.
«Assassin’s Creed» is heading to the Far East – wrong
At first, I thought I got this one right. But then I read my caption, which says «main series». In any case, I have to admit I didn’t think of a mobile spin-off when I predicted the next «Assassin’s Creed». That’s exactly what’s currently being developed under the code name «Jade». And it’s indeed set in China.
«Half-Life Alyx» will be a launch title for PSVR2 – wrong
While I’m still convinced Valve will port «Half-Life Alyx» to Sony’s new VR headset, it hasn’t been announced yet.
«Half-Life» shall continue, both within and outside VR – correct
My prognosis wasn’t too specific, so what I did predict turned out to be true. For one, there’s «Apterture Desk Job», which is set in the «Portal» universe – also considered part of the «Half-Life» universe. In addition, numerous hints about direct sequels have surfaced, including one about «Half-Life Alyx», which is a VR title.
Ubisoft shall return to Steam in full – correct
All new Ubisoft games are available on Steam again, from «Assassin’s Creed Valhalla» to «Roller Champions» and «Watch Dogs Legion». Before that, PC players had to go with the Uplay launcher.
Discord will be bought and get into NFTs – wrong
Discord founder Jason Citron hasn’t publicly pursued his NFT interests and the platform hasn’t been sold. This prediction couldn’t have been more wrong.
A PlayStation exclusive will appear simultaneously on PC – correct
«Forspoken» has been delayed from 2022 to January 2023, but my prediction of a big Sony game coming out at the same time for PC was correct anyway. Even though it’s not being developed by Sony Studios, it’s considered the next big Sony blockbuster.
«Bioshock 4» will be released exclusively for PlayStation – wrong
It’s being worked on, but there hasn’t been a new trailer nor an announcement that it will be released exclusively for Playstation.
«Infamous 3» will be revealed – wrong
For me, this is probably the biggest disappointment. Instead of continuing the series about electric anti-hero Cole MacGrath, studio Sucker Punch has confirmed they’re working on the sequel to «Ghost of Tsushima».
The «Super Mario» film will be panned by critics – wrong
This prediction may yet come true, but only after the film is released, which is expected to happen on 6 April 2023.
«Sonic 2» will trump «Super Mario» – wrong
Once again, my crystal ball was ahead of the times. However, after seeing the new «Super Mario Bros. The Movie» trailers, I’d withdraw this prediction.
The first Unreal Engine 5 game will blow us away visually – correct
Some games running on Unreal Engine 5 have already been shown – «Stalker 2» and «Tekken 8», for instance. Both trailers flex their muscles when it comes to graphics. I’ve been lucky enough to play the role-playing-shooter hybrid «The First Descendant» myself and was highly impressed by its graphics. However, «Fortnite» impressed me the most. It also made the upgrade to Unreal Engine 5 in 2022 and I must say, it comes with various new effects and looks fantastic.
A new VR headset from Valve – wrong
No new launch, not even rumours. The Steam Deck is my only consolation.
Microsoft Cloud Gaming goes 4K – wrong
The latency is being improved, but there’s been no talk of higher resolutions so far.
A new «Indiana Jones» game – wrong
Harrison Ford shows up in the trailer for the fifth movie, but there’s no talk of a new release by Machine Games.
«God of War» will come to the big screen – correct
Amazon has started working on a «God of War» series. Whether Jason Momoa will take the lead role – as I predicted – is yet to be confirmed.
«F-Zero» shall return – wrong
«F-Zero X» did come out for Switch Online, but that’s not quite what I predicted. I’ll have to keep waiting for a sequel to the racing series.
«Super Mario» with retro glasses – wrong
Neither was there any information on the next big Super Mario game, nor if it would come with a gadget such as retro glasses.
Steam Deck will inspire numerous imitators – correct
Valve’s handheld gaming console has definitely hit a nerve. In addition to lesser-known manufacturers such as Ayaneo or Ayn, Razer and Logitech have also introduced and even released their own handhelds.
«The Witcher» will continue with Ciri – wrong
CD Project Red has announced five games in «The Witcher» universe, but none of them specifically state that Geralt’s adopted daughter Ciri will play the main role. Yet, it still seems plausible.
Activision Blizzard’s CEO has to go – wrong
Despite massive sexual assault and harassment scandals and a planned takeover by Microsoft, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick is still in office.
Simon will give «The Last of Us» another chance – wrong
The HBO series won’t be released until January, but Simon still turns up his nose in disgust every time I mention «The Last of Us» .
Conclusion: 6 correct and 17 wrong predictions
I got two more right than last year, but I’d also made seven more predictions. Be that as it may, all I see is a slight trend upwards. I’m off to clean my crystal ball so that I get a clear view of the future for the coming year.
Philipp Rüegg
Senior Editor
Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.chBeing the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.
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