Games are a popular source of entertainment for many people. But, for game artists, games are more than just an entertainment source or a hobby; they are tools to bring life to their visions and set standards. In fact, these pixelated game features on your digital screens are the building blocks of trending masterpieces like Fortnite, Cyberpunk 2077, and Red Dead Redemption.
However, to make these traditional pixels a masterpiece, a million-dollar effort is required on behalf of game artists. According to the 2022 statistics, the annual worldwide gaming revenue was estimated to be US$347 Billion. This revenue is expected to rise by 46.43% from 2024 to 2029, estimated to be as high as US$666.69 Billion.
The secret to this upward-rising revenue is the innovation that comes with newer and better 3D game art styles. With NFTs, Virtual and Augmented Reality, Metaverse, and Cloud gaming styles, the 3D game art trends of 2024 are ready to give this thriving industry another boost. So, let’s see how these 3D art trends are defining the gaming industry this year!
Super Mario by Nintendo was fun until the world’s first 3D arcade game, Battlezone, which was released in the 1980s. With its release, the entire landscape of the gaming industry was changed as players gained a broader and more realistic view of the gaming environment.
This 2D vs 3D war greatly affected the players' choice of gameplay and their playing abilities, boosting the use of newer game art styles. Such 3D game art trends benefit global gaming developers and patterns in the following ways.
It enables developers to create realistic gaming environments, characters, and objects. This feature enhances player immersion and believability. Through this effect, they are transported to visually stunning, lifelike, and captivating worlds.
With 3D character modeling, the gaming characters have more lifelike appearances that captivate players. It gives a realistic touch to the characters, giving them depth and personality simultaneously. Plus, it is always fun to play with them!
These newer gaming trends also improve game environments, making them more interactive and dynamic. Players can interact with objects, manipulate the environment, and experience realistic physics. This feature ultimately adds depth and engagement to gameplay.
The ever-evolving technology and virtual world perspective have given the gaming industry a big boost recently. These advancements have pushed gaming artists to come up with even cooler stuff. This year, things got shaken up even more than usual, with newer and better types of 3D art styles being introduced.
Some of the modern 3D game art trends everyone is talking about in the game studios right now include:
AR and VR have become a rising game art style in recent years. Augmented reality, also known as extended reality, uses 3D art to combine the display of digital images with physical reality to make a hybrid of its own. On the other hand, virtual reality involves creating a manifested reality in a computer-generated surrounding.
In 2022, the global market of AR and VR will reach US$1210 million. This revenue is expected to climb to US$10,110 Million in 2029 with a compound annual growth rate of 35.4%. VR marketing has also become a popular tool for advertisements and sales.
Thus, following the hype, the game art studios and artists are diving headfirst into AR and VR. The best part about these 3D animation art styles is that they open up a new world of possibilities. You can see and feel dragons whooping over your head, playing with your tools, and the chest full of treasure popping open right next to your feet!
With AR/VR, players can interact with virtual objects like never before, as the line between fantasy and reality gets seriously blurred. You only need wireless headsets, VR frames, and standalone AR glasses to be a part of this extended reality. Plus, it is a blast to play with friends since you are all seeing the same virtual stuff superimposed on your surroundings. Who would like to miss all that fun out, right?
Among the popular 3D game art trends, Metaverse is a hot topic. It is a virtual reality platform with a computer and AI-generated environment to create an alternate reality. This gaming trend allows players to play and offers opportunities to contribute to virtual reality.
Here, you can explore the virtual world up to limitless dimensions, create customized visual avatars, play competitions, and socialize globally just from the comfort of your sofa. The fun part is that you can even carry out virtual businesses, buy and sell cryptos, and get rich in real time!
Hence, metaverse experiences are like mixing all your favorite things from social media, games, learning, and shopping under one roof. Eventually, cranking it up to a whole new level of awesome. Many companies like Meta, The Sandbox, Google, and Epic Games are investing in metaverse agencies to make it more readily available to everyone. You can easily access it through VR headsets, gaming consoles, PCs, or mobile phones.
Although cloud gaming is a relatively older trend, it is one of the best video game art styles of 2024. The reason behind it is the sustainable gaming model that it offers. With cloud gaming, long gone are the days when you would have to spend hundreds and thousands on gaming consoles, software installations, and gadgets.
Instead, the game runs on powerful servers far away. With the cloud, the heavy lifting happens on those servers, handling everything from game rules to graphics. Plus, you can play on many devices like phones, tablets, PCs, and more.
Cloud gaming is superior to other gaming models as it saves your progress, so you can pick up where you left off. As technology moves to 5G connectors, cloud gaming will become even more accessible, making it easier for smaller game makers and 3D artists to join the scene. It will make 3D marketing of games easier and more accessible.
Blockchain 3D animation art style is the ultimate level-up for virtual assets. This gaming pattern aims to provide every item, character, or piece of art in a game with a unique digital fingerprint, making it one-of-a-kind. All these features are completely owned by players, even in reality!
The fun part is that blockchain 3D gaming allows you to play and sell character avatars and NFTs in real time while opening up new possibilities for creativity. Artists can create digital assets knowing that their work is protected and can retain value over time.
On the other hand, players can contribute to the game's ecosystem by creating and trading their content, adding a whole new layer of community-driven creativity.
3D art is like the magic wand of the gaming world. It is the secret to immersive gaming experiences that captivate players and bring virtual worlds to life. Some of the key uses of 3D art in gaming are:
3D art enables the creation of expansive and dynamic game environments. From wide landscapes to intricate interiors, artists can create visually stunning but also interactive and explorable worlds.
3D characters are the lifeline of the gaming industry. Without 3D characters there won't be any emotional connection and profound expression of characters you observe in characters like Mario, Lara Croft and so many others.
Visuals are an integral part of the gaming industry. VFX – also known as visual effects – is a process whereby artists combine imagery and 3D art to create live and in-action character models, graphics, CGI elements, and gaming videos. This creates a wholesome gaming experience and is the key to getting the players hooked!
Character animation is another byproduct of 3D art, without which your gaming experience is a failure. However, creating animations in real-time is not a simple process. It is a multi-step procedure that requires making 3D character models, adding rigging and joints, and then applying movements to bring the character to life. So, always get an expert game artist to get perfect animations for your games!
3D art is a hidden tool of game artist's storytelling. Multidimensional cinematics and cutscenes leverage 3D graphics to deliver compelling narratives. They also open rooms for character development and plot twists that drive the player's emotional engagement and immersion.
Developing a game is fun, but setting global standards demands the best expertise. However, hiring an in-house game artist can be extremely expensive, especially for established developers. Well, that’s where game art outsourcing can help you out!
It saves your costs by tapping into specialized talent without the hassle of hiring in-house. Outsourcing also helps you focus on the core tasks, boosting productivity. In this line of interest, Cominted Labs game art outsourcing studio can assist you design and set 3D game art trends to boost your thriving venture.
With a decade’s experience and working with 50+ companies, we assure you that we provide A-grade game art. Our 3D marketing campaigns are guaranteed to offer results in no time! So, connect with us today and develop games that are profitable as well as budget-friendly!
