Why 2022 is being billed as such a big year for gaming

Following the news that popular titles created by award-winning German online slots games developer GAMOMAT are to become available in the Dutch iGaming market, a question begins to form. Namely, is this another portent of an under-the-radar trend that iGames watchers are predicting will explode in 2022?

On the face of it, the evidence doesn’t seem promising – 2021 has turned out to be an unremarkable year for gaming. Yes, the smaller independent developers have been as innovative and enthralling as ever; but the bigger studios have frankly struggled with the Covid blues, delaying big titles because their creative talent were forced to work from home. But that pesky 2021 slowdown is the very spot where it starts to get interesting for 2022.

So, drawing from our extensive experience of the casino iGaming scene, and sites such as Quickspin Casinos, which is a leading fan platform and reviewer of games, let’s dive right in and take a closer look at why 2022 is promising to be a bumper year for gaming.

If 2021 turned out to be a distinctly “dry” year for gaming enthusiasts thirsting for exciting new titles, 2022 is on course to be the most electrifying year in the industry since 2017.

Now, while some veteran gamers may grunt in derision at that claim (it’s become a perennial assertion at the beginning of any year, after all), there are good reasons why 2022 is on course to be different. The delayed blockbuster titles of 2021 are about to be unleashed in 2022, so fasten your seatbelts and remove all loose items that might get lost during the ride.

The fact is, we’re not only about to see the release of eagerly anticipated epic offerings from the most beloved big studios, but a raft of exhilarating new titles from the indie sector, too, which has defied the odds in being able to thrive and explode in scale even in the depths of the business-freezing climate of Covid.

A good proportion of 2022’s biggest releases will be coming from held-back studios making a welcome return. The innumerable fans of George R.R. Martin – he of Game of Thrones fame – can brace themselves for the release of the magnificent-looking “Elden Ring”, which is billed as FromSoftware’s biggest world yet.

Enthusiasts for Bethesda Game Studios’ offerings are in for what promises to be a breathtaking treat with ‘Starfield’, which has been in the making for 25 years and looks set to blaze gloriously after the six-year radio silence we’ve had from the studio since the release of the epic Fallout 4.

But the indie studios have some real gems tucked up their sleeves for 2022, too. Jumpship, for example, will release the aesthetically gorgeous sci-fi post-catastrophe family survival adventure ‘Somerville’ in ’22.

Digital Trends sums up the upcoming year’s gaming scene succinctly:

“While the social lockdowns of 2020 got more people gaming than ever before, it wasn’t the best time to introduce fans to the medium. The game release cycle quickly started slowing down as studios simply couldn’t capitalize on the momentum. That’s going to change in 2022. Start budgeting now.”

Buckle up, everybody. You’re in for a helluva ride.