While I spent some of my own time predicting the future of gaming this week, I’m not exactly someone with a lot of experience in the videogame industry. When it comes to prognostication and reflection on the year, we spend a lot of time looking over the perspectives of media groups and usually see a reflection of what we’ve heard all year. Top rated games get the best post-mortems and risky games that may not have sold or performed well often get a lot of talk regarding what they did right, when they may have been avoided through most of the busy season. So what is the difference when it comes from the mouths of the developers, producers and other gaming industry veterans and big shots? What were the big successes and failures of 2008, and what does the future hold for our favourite pastime?

Will Wright [Spore, Sim City], Richard Garriott [Ultima Online, Tabula Rasa], Paul Barnett [Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning], Peter Molyneux [Fable, Black & White] and Jonathan Wendel [Pro Gamer] all took some time to chat with the BBC to discuss their highs and lows of the year, along with their plans for the new year. While some lent more to the discussion than others, there were a few things that stood out between them all as almost universal truths.

2008′s big successes can be outlined fairly easily. While Barnett shrugged the Wii off with its “kooky” games, it still got a lot of mention as an industry shaker. Considering the “hardcore” audience that most of these people cater to, it’s quite a compliment. PlayStation 3 seemed to be a level of big disappointment among the group, but LittleBigPlanet earned some high praise from Molyneux. The 360 seems to be the most successful, and while it is recognized that the PC struggled with DRM, the “death of the PC” argument has been heard before by a lot of these guys and they don’t buy it. GTA IV earned a mention from Molyneux and Barnett as their most impressive game of the year, with the technical achievement and vision of the project just unimaginable for most groups.

Next year, however, the vision was certainly much bleaker. Molyneux pointed out that so many triple-A titles were pushed out during the holiday season that we don’t have much on the map for the new year, as well as having serious revenue problems despite the “recession proof” concept still floating around. Barnett echoed his sentiment, saying that the industry was headed for a shift like the music industry has faced in how it deals with revenue streams. Less titles, less money and more companies going under. As for trends, social gaming certainly seems to be the main focus. Wright stressed the use of games as social tools rather than simple multiplayer experiences, and cross media interaction as the main drivers for the future. Mobile games using GPS, allowing you to interact with the real world through a game.

Overall, the sentiments echoed by this gaming Illuminati seems to be in line with what is being said across the industry. Perhaps a bit more praise for GTA IV than what seems to be shown at the end of this year, and a much bleaker outlook for next year. No big excitement for any titles, some praise for Blizzard and Nintendo, but not much, and perhaps a bit too much product placement (especially by Wendel in regards to his “new headphones”). However, the way the industry is being viewed from the inside as in danger for the coming year is the most telling issue and should concern most people. While most people are still reeling from the holiday glut of games, if next season all we have to look forward to is announcements in the summer and a few rushed products at the end of the year, it’s not a great outlook. There’s always room for surprises, and we’ve listed quite a few games that will be dropping (hopefully) next year that excite at least myself, so it’s not all doom and gloom.

The biggest news out of this article is that Garriott will be returning to his tried and true style of gaming. He is still passionate for online gaming and MMORPGs and wants to return to the fantasy genre. Even after having his main accomplishment this year be completely unrelated to gaming (going to space) he still wanted back in when he returned to terra firma. Make sure to read the entire article and see for yourself just what the guys behind the games are saying.

Image courtesy of the BBC