Was 2024 A Silent Year For Games?

In comparison to 2023, 2024 was a blast year. New games and their remakes are constantly being made in the gaming industry which keeps gamers interested in this industry. Game localization services are accountable for this surge in the demands of games as gamers can understand and interact with their favorite games as there are no linguistic and cultural barriers left. Despite the commotion around remakes and new games and whether the gaming market is saturated, 2024 wasn’t an ideal year for games. There were many economic difficulties and many scandals which led to the fall of games this year.

There are many reasons behind this. In this read, we will talk about the factors and the role of translation in uplifting some quietness.

The Game Translation Industry in 2024

In 2024, video game translation services gave extraordinary services and we got translated games. It helped games reach new markets and gaming companies generated revenue in bulk. In 2024, the video game industry didn’t just revolve around game translation but inculcated localization as a permanent feature of this industry. It means that games aren’t just turned into the target audience’s language but also made culturally compatible with the audience’s taste. Other than that, the game’s graphics are modified to relate to the audience.

The reason behind the success of the gaming industry as a whole is that games are greatly in demand by the audience. Localization and translation act as catalysts in increasing that demand even more. Video games are not just localized based on their gameplay, storyline, controls, and content but also app stores. Gaming keywords are localized which raises visibility for them in the marketplace.

Game localization services are also liable for the localization of gaming audio files. Storytelling and emotional engagement are greatly aided by audio, which includes voice acting, sound effects, and music. And it is localization that takes this task of adapting the sound effects so that they give audiences the same experience as other gamers are getting.

2024 – A Silent Year For Games

There are multiple reasons. First of all, the thing that disappointed gamers was the postponement of the GTA VI release. In 2023, Rockstar Games themselves said that the game will be released in mid-2024. However, it was then revealed that the game would be available by the end of 2025. This disappointed the fan so much that GTA lost much of its fan base. Many of the GTA fans were interested in playing Red Dead Redemption 2 and that’s how the GTA fan base was converted into the Red Dead Redemption fan base.

Less AAA Games Production

There were very few AAA games that came out this year. AAA games are the games that are high in production value and greater in budget. These games are blockbuster games that define the whole year and lay the foundation for the upcoming games. In 2024, gaming audiences saw very few AAA games, and even among those games not every game hit the market as it was expected by the publishers and the developers. For instance, Skull and Bones and The First Descendant didn’t gain the reputation they were expected to get.

Economic Instability

This year economic instability was seen in the gaming industry. For example, Ubisoft dropped several unplanned projects in 2024 to concentrate efforts on a more manageable, smaller portfolio. Team Cherry, an Indie studio developer, announced that Hollow Knight Silksong will hit the screens in late 2024. But because of the rising cost of production, the publishing got postponed, and right now there is silence from Team Cherry’s side.

Layoffs in the Gaming Industry

2024 witnessed one of the biggest layoffs in the history of the gaming industry. More than 14,600 people lost their jobs. And this number was greater than the number (10,000) we saw in 2023. Microsoft’s Xbox division, EA, and PlayStation Studios downsized their gaming developers which led to this increased number of layoffs.

One Exception: Black Myth: Wukong

Despite being a quiet year for games, we can’t forget the impact of Black Myth: Wukong. After a long time, China showcased its true potential in the gaming community and published a game that took the whole world by surprise. Here, the role of video game translation services is commendable as the game is available in more than 16 languages, while at the start, the game only comprised two languages, English and Chinese.

Year of Remakes and Reboots

The ratio of remake and reboot games was greater in 2024. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Tomb Raider I–III Remastered, Lollipop Chainsaw RePop, and Silent Hill 2 are a few of the most popular remake and reboot games of this year. And these are the games that gained mainstream recognition, not the newly published games.

Game of the Year Awards – A Thrilling Year-End Finale

At the end of 2024, came the Game of the Year awards that took the whole gaming industry and gaming communities by surprise. All in all this event was a total blast but many people were disappointed by the results. The most anticipated game didn’t win the Game of the Year award (the biggest award in the gaming industry). Rather the award was won by a remake game, Silent Hill 2.  One more thing was that this game wasn’t even translated by professional translation services and still, it has earned the most prestigious award. It is a win for Team Silent but in the words of the critics, other games deserved the award.

Final Words!

By being a quiet year for video games, 2024 set the standards for 2025. Now gaming companies know how to make their games a blockbuster and hit in the market. It was mainly the layoff and economic stability that led to the downfall of games in 2024. However, it was a Chinese AAA game that managed to hit the market and capture the attention of a large audience. Also, Silent Hill 2, won the Game of the Year award and that’s how 2024 is ending.