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[Inviusx]

In terms of genre defining stuff or stuff that hasn't been done before, not much to be honest. Here are some of my picks for ones to watch though, if you're drafting your upcoming games fantasy team.

New World, first big western MMO release in 7 years. Was due 12 months ago but has been delayed until May this year. People are sleeping on it but I think the thirst for a new MMO will be a massive draw and it looks pretty decent.

Ashes of Creation, another big MMO project due in 2022. Again like New Worls this is a massive Western developed game that is being touted as the next big thing in MMOs. The hype is real and its completely self funded by a MMO fan who made millions as a stock broker and retired in his 20s. He set-up the studio with the goal of creating the best MMO ever. Its been in development for a long ass time now but I think this one will legitimately be the next big thing if they can pull it off.

Starfield, its the next big thing from Bethesda. Been in development for an eternity and we don't know anything about it yet. Has the potential to be epic if it reaches the scale of an Elderscrolls game. Possibly 2021 but no one knows.

Black Myth Wukong, announced with an epic gameplay trailer that legitimately looks leaps and bounds better than anything on the market at the moment. Even though it looks like a souls game its from a completely unknown team working out of China with what looks like a insane budget. Might be the next big thing, might be a complete failure but definitely one to watch.

Biomutant, touted as an ambitious open world role playing game from a brand new european studio that was built just for this game. Announced too early imho but looks sufficiently next gen and has loads of style. Potential to be a massive hit if the gameplay we've seen so far sticks the landing.

Dying Light 2, sequel to a game that was probably better than it had any right to be. The sequels seems like its in development hell but the first game was practically begging for a sequel. Who knows when its due out at this point but even if its just a slight improvement of DL1 it has the potential to be hugely enjoyable.

Elite Dangerous Odyssey, ED has been out for years now but the Odyssey expansion seems like its adding a sequels worth of content including the ability for space legs (get out of your ship, walk around planets, FPS gameplay etc etc). I think its going to deliver the promise of Star Citizen but on a much more sensible scale and from a dev team that isn't led by a madman scam artist. I think Odyssey is going to be a complete restart for that entire game and lift it to new heights.

 

[michaelius]

Noone saw those games listed in first post as something super big before their release. It's usually suprise hits that catch audience eye.

 

[martino]

In terms of genre defining stuff or stuff that hasn't been done before, not much to be honest. Here are some of my picks for ones to watch though, if you're drafting your upcoming games fantasy team.

New World, first big western MMO release in 7 years. Was due 12 months ago but has been delayed until May this year. People are sleeping on it but I think the thirst for a new MMO will be a massive draw and it looks pretty decent.

Ashes of Creation, another big MMO project due in 2022. Again like New Worls this is a massive Western developed game that is being touted as the next big thing in MMOs. The hype is real and its completely self funded by a MMO fan who made millions as a stock broker and retired in his 20s. He set-up the studio with the goal of creating the best MMO ever. Its been in development for a long ass time now but I think this one will legitimately be the next big thing if they can pull it off.

Starfield, its the next big thing from Bethesda. Been in development for an eternity and we don't know anything about it yet. Has the potential to be epic if it reaches the scale of an Elderscrolls game. Possibly 2021 but no one knows.

Black Myth Wukong, announced with an epic gameplay trailer that legitimately looks leaps and bounds better than anything on the market at the moment. Even though it looks like a souls game its from a completely unknown team working out of China with what looks like a insane budget. Might be the next big thing, might be a complete failure but definitely one to watch.

Biomutant, touted as an ambitious open world role playing game from a brand new european studio that was built just for this game. Announced too early imho but looks sufficiently next gen and has loads of style. Potential to be a massive hit if the gameplay we've seen so far sticks the landing.

Dying Light 2, sequel to a game that was probably better than it had any right to be. The sequels seems like its in development hell but the first game was practically begging for a sequel. Who knows when its due out at this point but even if its just a slight improvement of DL1 it has the potential to be hugely enjoyable.

Elite Dangerous Odyssey, ED has been out for years now but the Odyssey expansion seems like its adding a sequels worth of content including the ability for space legs (get out of your ship, walk around planets, FPS gameplay etc etc). I think its going to deliver the promise of Star Citizen but on a much more sensible scale and from a dev team that isn't led by a madman scam artist. I think Odyssey is going to be a complete restart for that entire game and lift it to new heights.

I have high hopes too for your solo games selection

 

[waquzy]

Gran Turismo 7
GTA V: Next Gen Edition

That’s about it..,

 

[Black_Stride]

Halo Infinite’s multiplayer component.

I know people are gonna say you are trolling.
And maybe you are.

But a AAA free to play MP first person shooter might just be the next big thing.
Itll get a bunch of lolXbox hate initially but with hope and time they could actually make a really good multiplayer experience with enough content drops to actually keep the community engaged.

The Halo universe has enough shit in it to have monthly drops night infinitely.
Give us a few good gamemodes and we could be in for a treat.

 

[Inviusx]

More ones to watch that might be the next big thing.

Age of Empires 4, again this one seems like its been in development hell but hey its Relic who are RTS gods (minus DOW3) and its freaking Age of Empires. I think this game is going to be huge and it might reinvigorate the entire RTS scene if they can capture that classic AoE feel.

Sons of the Forest, sequel to The Forest, an insane sleeper hit FPS coop survival game from an unknown team at the time. Equal parts fun and horrific. They nailed the first game and I dont think many people expected a sequel but imho The Forest really popularised the survival genre and I think the sequel will step it up again, especially because I'm sure the budget is huge now.

Whatever Ghost Story Games is working on. GSG is the studio that Ken Levine (Thief, Bioshock) founded in 2017 when he dissolved Irrational. Basically dont know anything about it except its supposedly going to try and revolutionise dialogue and dialogue choice in games. One to watch.

Gran Turismo 7, this is a personal one for me and not everyone will agree but honestly if they pull off the classic GT story mode alongside the revolutionary online racing of Sport it will probably be the most feature rich racing game of all time. Huge hype for me, can't wait.

I will add others if you want, I would need to dust off the old notes though.

 

[Woman7]

Tough question. I don't have much faith in those MMO's since they rely on mass appeal and will compromise but there's probably experiments flying under the radar right now that will redefine existing genres.

Something revolutionary in the field of game physics breaking the regular gameplay loop, advancements in random generation, player interactivity. No idea. I'm not seeing anything yet.

 

[xrnzaaas]

I am expecting a lot from Gran Turismo 7. Adding a proper singleplayer mode, starting with much more content than GTS and running on PS5 should be an awesome combo.

 

[Heisenberg007]

My guess:

• GoW: Ragnarok
• TLOU2 Multiplayer
• Cyberpunk 2077 multiplayer
• Breath of the Wild 2
• Elder Scrolls 6 (could be if done right)

 

[waquzy]

If "next big thing" is defined as the type of game that hits once every 5 or so years. The kind of game that alters the trajectory of game development. The kind of game that broadens the game buying market.

The last "next big thing" games:

PUBG
Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Fortnite

Lesser "next big thing" games:

Animal Crossing New Horizons
Fall Guys
Among Us

Is there anything coming out in the next couple of years you think could be the next big thing?

My only votes would be Horizon Forbidden West and Breath of the Wild II. Both Guerilla Games and Nintendo tend to produce special games when given enough time.

PUBG?
Fortnite?
Fall Guys?
Among Us?

These games you mentioned aren’t big hitters, they are just mobile games played by 12 year olds, Youtubers and so called influencers. It’s like Cany Crush played by millions, but the game itself is rubbish, just like the games you mentioned above. Big hitters are titles like:

God of War
Red Dead Redemption 2
Cyberpunk 2077
The Last of US 2

 

[Majima Everywhere System]

Starfield. I sense the Skyrim and Mass Effect people getting antsy.

As for really big, whatever the Roblox kids see as next. I bet Ubisoft is trying to make it right now.

 

[Woman7]

Genre defining stuff =! heavily marketed hollywood style games.

I feel people are missing the OP's point.

 

[Amornalx]

I think that the next big thing is going to be a game like overcooked.

 

[Bo_Hazem]

Genre defining stuff =! heavily marketed hollywood style games.

I feel people are missing the OP's point.

I feel sick. Where is that hospital?

 

[Kamina]

PUBG was a big thing?

 

[brian0057]

REm4ke.
If they can double the length of the village, shorten the castle by half, and get rid of the island altogether, it'll become the greatest game ever made.

 

[Aion002]

I think that God of War Ragnarok will be the biggest game on the series and will be a really defining game for PlayStation studios.


Elden Ring will be the biggest Souls game and will become the guideline that others will follow.


Those are the ones that I care and that I believe it will be impactful for core gamers.... Now the next Fortnite thingie? Eh....

 

[Birdo]

Probably some overhyped hardware-exclusive AAA game that will be GOAT for a week before being forgotten.

 

[KungFucius]

Storm the Capitol Simulator 2021

As long as you can urinate and smear feces, I'm in.

 

[Zelent]

It's obviously going to be Half-Life 3... whenever that comes out...

 

[Bryank75]

Factions 2 will be very big if it is standalone.

GT7 whenever it comes out will be massive due to the wait for a mainline GT entry.

Horizon has quite a big following, so HFW will be very big.

Needless to say GOW sequel will be huge.

FFXVI obviously

I am personally looking forward to R&C Rift Apart a lot...


NEW IP's;

Kena looks amazing.

Little Devil Inside also looks charming and fun.

Project Awakening (No idea when it's coming)

 

[Lethal01]

BoTW 2 is the obvious one.

FFVII:R part 2 will be mind melting

 

[Fbh]

Really hard to say.
I'm guessing stuff like GOW2, Horizon2, Hellblade 2, etc will be the usual big AAA that's talked about for 2-3 months before people move on to the next thing.
BotW2 is probably going to have the usual "Holy shit best thing ever created, 99 Metascore and 5billion game of the forever awards" until people calm down and the discussion about it becomes more tame like with BotW1.

The next big thing that's going to be talked about for years like Fortnite or LOL is hard to guess. A lot of these games came out of nowhere or rapidly became more popular than anyone expected.
Though at this point it seems like in order to be the next big thing you have to be multiplayer focused, and either really cheap or F2P.

Halo Infinite could be big if the quality is there and MS puts in the money to continuously support it. TLOU Factions 2 could be big too IF it's not a $70 Multiplayer only game.
Though it's more likely going to be some other new IP from a lesser known dev that just blows up on Twitch and among the 12 years old crowd.

 

[Croatoan]

Pubg 2 is in development...lol

I think the next big thing will be a game with the core mechanics from Escape from tarkov that is made by a bigger, more talented, studio that can get netcode right and doesn't actively hate their player base. Seriously, the gameplay loop for EFT is ripe for big money exploitation.

So yeah, like how Fortnite was a more casual PUBG, the next big thing will be a more casual Escape from Tarkov.

 

[TheMay30thMan]

I know people are gonna say you are trolling.
And maybe you are.

But a AAA free to play MP first person shooter might just be the next big thing.
Itll get a bunch of lolXbox hate initially but with hope and time they could actually make a really good multiplayer experience with enough content drops to actually keep the community engaged.

The Halo universe has enough shit in it to have monthly drops night infinitely.
Give us a few good gamemodes and we could be in for a treat.

I was a bit half and half on the trolling. I didn't expect anyone to take my response seriously, but I have no doubt on the potential of Infinite. Especially since the multiplayer is going to be free to play. It could definitely be the next big thing.

 

[Xyphie]

If we look outside established franchises and game concepts, I think there might be some kind of "streamer interaction" game design idea that could make it big. A game in which a live streamer plays either against or together with the viewer base on a large scale and it's fun for both parties.

 

[Ribi]

BoTW2 is the next big game? Hahahhahahahaha you list genre defining games they say shit like that.

 

[LucidFlux]

It's hard to say. These days the ones that seem to shake up the industry and break from the norm tend to be smaller indy style games that come out of nowhere, but they can afford to take these chances. The big AAA's have become formulistic due to ballooning development cost and timelines so they don't take huge risks.

With the rise of AI, automation, procedural generation, and engines such as UE5 beginning to streamline various creative processes (lighting, LOD authoring) we should start to see shorter dev cycles for those big AAA games and they may start to push boundaries again. Then they can afford to take more risks to find the next big thing and expand the medium.

The door is wide open for some truly different and wild new gameplay design thanks in part to the fast SSDs in the new consoles. World design is no longer limited to small chunks with corridors or cleaver sight lines to mask loading, player actions that can change the environment in real-time are possible, more robust physics simulations and smart AI could add verisimilitude and replay-ability to these worlds.

That said, I think the next big thing(s) is/are likely already in production. While the tech isn't quite ready for our "Ready Player One" moment, I think we will start to see developers start to swing for that fence this generation.