19 predictions for the gaming year 2019

Philipp Rüegg

11.1.2019

Translation: machine translated

Will the PS5 come out, will Valve finally unveil 'Half-Life 3' and will 2019 be the year of video game streaming? I look into my crystal ball and dare to make predictions about what will happen in the video game industry.

Since in 2018 I guessed predicted well, I dare to make predictions again this year about the gaming year ahead. But before I get to that, I will take stock of last year's 17 predictions. I've broken them down into not-so-bold, bold, and off-the-wall predictions. Firstly:

Looking ahead to 2018

Not-very-bold predictions
. *"Red Dead Redemption 2" for PC: no, it was a rip-off. There have been other rumours, but so far an official announcement is missing.

• "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds" coming to PS4: boom, headshot. PUBG has already existed for PS4 since December.
• "Dragon Age 4": at the Game Awards in December it was already possible to see something.
• Concrete rumours regarding PS5: so I'll take that as a yes. There were many new hints about the hardware, though not as substantial as I had hoped.
• "Battlefield WWII": impressed. "Battlefield 5" plays in World War II.
• N64-Mini: Reggie Fils-Aimé, Nintendo's chief operating officer, disclosed that there are no plans at the moment.

Bold predictions

• Autumn release of "Pokémon" for Switch: I think this is also correct, even if "Pokémon Let's Go" is still not the true 3D RPG that fans have been craving for a long time.
• Swiss E-Sport League: ah, if I hadn't written anything about the Raiffeisen Super League. Swisscom did this project of their own instead.
• The Swiss E-Sport League.
• Xbox One X with mixed reality glasses: this prediction also failed.
• Bethesda launches a new game in the autumn: yes sir, that is 'Fallout 76'. Unfortunately I thought it wasn't a 'Fallout' title. I guess that's what Bethesda wants now too.
• "Super Mario Maker Deluxe": no, the game has not been released for Switch.
• Microsoft buys studios and launches exclusive titles: with Ninja Theory I even got the name of one of the studios right. Yeah baby.

Freaky predictions

• Switch portable-only cheaper: almost, but a year early. Nintendo is expected to unveil a corresponding console this year.
  .- "Call of Duty" with Battle Royale mode: it calls itself Blackout and is a real success. Only my statement that there are no games with 100 players reduces the predictions a little.

• New video game from Valve: I thought it wasn't "Artifact" so zero points.
• Playstation Vita 2: Still hoping.
• Valve buys Vive: no, completely idiotic.

All right, that went better than expected, let's see if I have such a good hand again. Here are my predictions for 2019.

Wimp predictions

"Diablo 4" arrives in 2020

The mobile game 'Diablo' was a flop and Blizzard wants to catch up again. That is why 'Diablo 4' for PC and consoles will be presented at Blizzcon. The launch will not take place before 2020, and the number 4 might even be omitted.

New Switch mobile-only

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I can't help it, I have to double down. If it didn't happen in 2018, then it will happen in 2019. There are already rumours about it, so I'm sure Nintendo will unveil a new version of the Switch this year. Cheap, but can only be used in mobile format.

"Red Dead Redemption 2" for PC

I hope Rockstar doesn't ruin my predictions for the second time. PS4 and Xbox One are more or less PCs so portability shouldn't be that complicated. That's why the western game will also be available for PC in 2019.

"Watch Dogs 3" arrives in autumn

Ubisoft has already announced that there will be no new version of 'Assassin's Creed'. Therefore, it is time for a new 'Watch Dogs'. It will be presented at E3 and launched on the market in the autumn.

Valve adjusts the margin

Valve has already adjusted the revenue share for some developers due to increasing competition from other online shops. However, most studios have yet to cede 30% of their profits to Steam. In 2019, however, Valve will adjust the conditions in favour of all developers.

"Borderlands 3" hit our heart

It is known that Gearbox is working on the third part of the series. 2019 will finally be the year.

Bold predictions

"Cyberpunk 2077" arrives this year

We won't have to wait much longer for CD Project Red's latest work. "Cyberpunk 2077" will be the big autumn blockbuster.

Microsoft unites Game Pass and Xbox Live

Microsoft will introduce a new subscription combining Game Pass and Xbox Live. The price will be 15 francs per month.

Open Beta for Google Streaming Services

Some illustrious users had already been allowed to try out Google's streaming service with 'Assassin's Creed Odyssey'. In 2019, Google will not only expand its range of games, but will also launch a public beta version, which will, however, be subject to a fee.

Remake of 'Earthworm Jim'

The trend towards remakes, remastered and reimagined does not stop. For this reason, the cult jump'n'run game 'Earthworm Jim' will be the new game that stays true to its principles.

New 'Zelda'

is presented

Nintendo presents the new open world 'Zelda'. However, not this year.

Crossplay becomes normal

Epic is pioneering cross-platform gaming with Fortnite. In 2019 we will see more games connecting Playstation, Xbox and PC gamers.

Balls of Steel predictions

Console streaming Xbox

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Microsoft will introduce the newly codenamed Xbox Scarlett at E3. There will be two models. The cheaper one will only have performance for simple games and depend on cloud power. The more expensive model will work as usual and have more high-performance hardware than the Xbox One X.

The PS5 arrives

Sony took advantage of this in order not to leave too much of a free field to Microsoft. So at an event away from E3 the Playstation 5 will be unveiled. It is backwards compatible and has the necessary connections for PS VR 2 (which will only be announced).

PSVR 2 announced

Since I can't wait, here's a separate prediction. Sony grants a first look at the next pair of VR glasses. We are not allowed to know or see more.

Valve's VR goggles

If Valve does not buy Vive from HTC, it will release its VR goggles in 2019.

Amazon launches streaming service

The server infrastructure is already in place, so Amazon will introduce a game streaming service called Twitch.

New "Bioshock"

Maybe it's just an illusion, but I think we'll know more about the next "Bioshock" at E3 or the Game Awards this year.

Rocksteady's next game is "Aquaman"

The creators of the 'Batman Arkham' series have already denied rumours about their next game: it will not be Superman. That's why I'm going to go out on a limb and say that their next superhero game will be about Aquaman. The potential would be huge: what AAA game ventures underwater?
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What are your predictions for 2019?

Philipp Rüegg

Senior Editor

Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.ch

Being 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. more