Panel, Conference Presentation, Fireside Chat
Reinventing Play: The New Frontier of Gaming Technology and Creation | Global Conference 2026
Milken InstituteGeoff Keighley, Johanna Faries, Laura Miele, Gregory Milken, Donald Mustard, DAN GALPIN, MANO MARKS, LAURA MURPHY
- The gaming industry is expected to broaden its relevance into linear media, film, and TV, expanding workforce development and moving from limited mainstream coverage to global dominance across diverse skill sets and business models.
- Significant long-term growth is forecasted driven by 130 million new annual births, positioning gaming as the preferred medium for new generations, with growth predicted to be exponential and durable over many years.
- Industry evolution is anticipated to be driven by AI and technology lowering development barriers, leading to more innovative experiences, though this will create persistent challenges regarding product discoverability and marketing.
- Business models are expected to diversify, with a shift away from free-to-play ubiquity toward premium $70–$80 upfront pricing for large-scale titles and a hybrid approach varying by geographic region and player platform.
- Game launches will increasingly function as starting points for ecosystems requiring daily, weekly, and monthly engagement sustained for many years, rather than traditional single-release cycles.
- The addressable market is projected to see a real resurgence in PC gaming, particularly from China, while mobile will remain the largest platform due to accessibility, though cloud and VR growth may occur slower than expected.
- Strategic content delivery will require distinct team structures and operational speeds for different IPs and regions, specifically adapting to Chinese regulatory perspectives and varying content models across mobile, PC, and console.
- Blizzard is expected to expand globally with structural changes, support indie developers through licensing and partnerships, and enter mobile markets only when titles align with broader IP storytelling rather than seeking reach for reach's sake.
- A future "ultimate medium" is predicted within the next 30 years that combines human storytelling and art, where new generational franchises originate as games rather than traditional source material.
- Consumer creativity and player agency are expected to increase through AI tools that assist artists and enable sandbox experiences, while maintaining a focus on human-driven emotional content to ensure fun and engagement.
- The industry is poised to stack interactive gaming with movies, TV, and theme park experiences to create force multipliers, with transmedia extensions serving as key vehicles for awareness.
- The global RAM shortage is expected to be resolved within the next one to two years, characterized as a temporary blip rather than a long-term constraint.
- Future development will balance AAA blockbusters with deep independent games, with publishers actively seeking new IPs from smaller teams to acquire and scale, avoiding a race to the easiest narrative.
- Mobile devices present a massive opportunity for complementary experiences and cross-play for less competitive titles, while highly competitive games may remain distinct from the mobile ecosystem.