We've just experienced one of the best years for new video games on record. You can look at the best games of 2023 and get a clear sense of where interactive entertainment is likely heading in the future. Big, ambitious concepts met with flawless, experimental execution. It's exciting, and more than a little daunting – particularly as we look towards the titles which will no doubt be Big in 2024. While I anticipate that the year will be packed with some truly fantastic experiences, I do have this lingering sense that we'll all need to work hard to swerve some fairly unrealistic expectations.
Development of modern video games is on something of a challenging trajectory right now, where the expense and experience required to see a AAA title through production is continually compounding. This means that while it's largely true that Baldur's Gate 3 will shape the future of the RPG – pushing developers to invest in denser, more reactive and cinematic play spaces – it's probably going to take between three and five years before we see the first waves of titles inspired by Larian's award-winning approach to game design, if not way longer.
