Gaming’s platform-agnostic future takes center stage at CES 2025

The news: Gaming-related announcements dominated CES 2025, indicating a shift beyond consoles toward cloud gaming, e-sports, and cross-platform games.

An on-site CES keynote on Tuesday titled Beyond Consoles: The Future of Gaming announced that the console wars are over—a recurring theme at this year’s show. 

Consoles give way to hardware-independent gaming: Three-quarters of gamers across generations are playing on more than one platform, according to Comscore’s 2024 State of Gaming Report. It’s a trend that has forced console makers like Microsoft and Sony to make games that were once console-exclusive available on other platforms.

• Hardware makers have responded—Valve’s SteamDeck, Asus’ ROG Ally, MSI Claw, and Logitech’s G Cloud handhelds reflect a move away from the console big three towards devices that can run multiple game platforms.
• And Lenovo announced that its Legion Go S is the first authorized Valve SteamOS handheld game console. With Valve licensing SteamOS to third-parties, more manufacturers are likely to follow suit. 
• Nvidia, now an AI chip leader, returned to its gaming roots by announcing that GeForce NOW can transform any device into an RTX gaming PC, expanding cloud gaming and AAA titles to more devices and regions.

Companies that don’t embrace this change are falling behind. Nintendo, whose games run exclusively on its Switch hardware, saw the device’s Q2 profits fall 55% as sales plunged 46% YoY. As Switch users mature, they’re seeking more powerful hardware that can play games from other gaming companies.

The opportunity: More diverse gaming ecosystems across a larger pool of devices could dramatically boost in-game advertising, which is expected to grow from 18% of the total game revenue share worldwide in 2024 to 27% by 2028, per Omdia. 

Our take: The gaming industry is entering a new era marked by the decline of traditional console dominance and the rise of diverse, platform-agnostic ecosystems and devices. Changing norms open new advertising models that can reach gamers wherever they are.

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