Geek News Predictions for 2024

Happy New Year, everyone! 2024 is set to be a challenging year all around. It’s a presidential election year and no matter how things shake out, the politics of it all are going to be ugly. Local elections may be a bit more hopeful, but we won’t know until November. On the geopolitical side, Israel has no plans for a ceasefire in Gaza any time soon, and Russia’s war on Ukraine will enter another year. I decided for my sanity and yours not to make any political predictions. After all, my single 2023 political prediction panned out nicely, so let’s leave it at that.

I also mulled back and forth on whether I should include yet another prediction about Nintendo’s next console. If I keep doing them every year, I’ll eventually be correct. I feel like seven years into the Switch’s life would be a good time to announce a successor, but who even knows with this company. So I’ll do myself a favor and focus on other gaming predictions. If a Switch successor is announced this year, I’ll just kick myself for not including it here.

As always on December 31st, I’ll return to see how I did with these predictions.

 

The Elder Scrolls VI development finally gets an update

With the release of Starfield in the rearview mirror, and a less than stellar reception for the game, I’m betting we finally hear an update from Bethesda about the status of The Elder Scrolls VI. It could be more details on where the game is set to take place, perhaps screenshots, or even a short trailer that shows off a little more of the game. A release date won’t be announced, as it’s likely the next Elder Scrolls is years away. However, Bethesda would be willing to play their hand a little early to regain the favor of gamers disappointed with Starfield.

 

Persona 6 is revealed

Staying on the release train, and swiping a little from Geoff and Drew’s bet from last year, I predict we’ll receive a Persona 6 announcement. Atlus’s newest game, Metaphor: ReFantazio is set to arrive in fall 2024. Once that game drops, I suspect by the year’s end Atlus will give us a teaser for Persona 6. A rough trailer may be shown, or we may just receive key art. This will happen at The Game Awards, and no solid release date will be provided. After all, Persona 3 Reload is right around the corner, so what better way to end the year than with more Persona?

 

Aniplex of America is absorbed into Crunchyroll

Sony has determined that it will corner the market on anime, and its chosen vehicle will be Crunchyroll. We already saw Funimation and RightStuf devoured by the streaming service. So why not go three for three, and absorb Aniplex of America as well? Sony has owned the brand for years, and they’ve been quietly releasing expensive boutique box sets. Why not fold the brand into the flagship, and continue those limited, high-priced releases under the Crunchyroll banner?

 

Streaming service enshittification continues

2023 saw Netflix crackdown on password sharing, HBO Max become just Max, and there were price increases all around. To kick off 2024, Amazon Prime is already getting the enshittification ready with the introduction of ads on Prime, and charging $3 a month to have an ad-free experience. I predict this trend will only get worse. We’ll see more price increases in the form of replacing current offerings with an ad tier and charging more to not see ads, or we’ll just have straight price increases. More services will look at the success Netflix had with getting rid of the ability to share passwords outside a single location, and will introduce this feature. I also fear the Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount merger will succeed.

 

Other retailers fill the physical media hole left by Best Buy

Late last year, Best Buy announced that it would no longer carry physical media such as DVDs, Blu-rays, and 4K titles in its stores or online. Many people are worried this spells the end for physical media, but I’m going to predict the opposite. More retailers beef up their physical media offerings to take advantage of Best Buy exiting this market. For example, Best Buy stopped selling physical CDs years ago, but they’re very much available at Walmart, Target, and Amazon. The same will be true for DVDs, Blu-rays, and 4K movies/TV shows. Studios putting their offerings on physical media will be another matter entirely.

 

The Tesla Cybertruck runs into legal trouble

After extensive delays, the first Cybertrucks finally rolled off production lines and into the hands of eager customers. Sure, the price more than doubled from what was promised, and features were scaled back, but the trucks finally exist now. As of this writing, the Cybertruck is unavailable in Europe for a multitude of reasons. I predict that as more of these trucks hit roads in the United States, they’ll begin to give regulators and customers issues. The issue may come down to how heavy the trucks are, the stainless steel body causes destruction and numerous injuries in accidents, or customers find themselves frustrated by production flaws. A lawsuit could either come directly from a government agency, or a class-action lawsuit against Tesla is filed by furious customers.

 

We receive more than one commission this year

Last year, a kind reader commissioned us for a review of Street Fighter 6. Eventually for whatever reason someone will request an article or fund a movie discussion from us. This may be less of a prediction and more wishful thinking on my part, but it probably helps if people actually know we’re open for commissions and memberships. Hey, maybe you can make that happen! Cheesy, I know. I’m not sorry.

 

Remember to check back on December 31st for an update. And feel free to check out how my predictions from 2023 went.