2022 is shaping up to be a monumental, chock-full-of-opportunity year for content creators in the gaming space. That is, if they can successfully navigate the one certainty in uncertain times: change.

If you’re either a new creator looking to capitalize on the streaming boom or a veteran streamer looking to scale, here are a few key trends to help guide your most successful year yet!

Many fresh, home-bound talents found fame and success over the last couple of years due to the streaming boom during the pandemic. People naturally flocked to streaming during lockdown.

However, as lockdown restrictions ease and eager consumers return to more traditional forms of entertainment, brands are likely to be more conservative with their ad budgets, making it harder for streamers to earn and incentivize offers.

In 2022, streamers will need to hustle and be creative. If you’re not already diversifying your content across all platforms, start! Thankfully, creator tools and resources have never been better or more abundant.

2022 has already proven to be the year of huge mergers and acquistions from Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard, Sony snatching up Halo developer Bungie, and Netflix acquiring streaming platform The Stack, Big Media is making an aggressive push into the space. What does this mean for creators?

In two words: expect more. Though consolidation in gaming is nothing new, the pandemic accelerated the trend, and now every notable media company wants a piece of the pie.

Sounds scary, right? Well, the upside for creators could potentially be substantial. “Selling out” means more legitimacy within a broader market, potentially bringing more non-endemic sponsors (along with substantial advertising budgets) to content creators.

Marquee industry events like PAX, E3 and TwitchCon are returning after consecutive covid-related hiatuses. These in-person events were important gatherings for industry executives and deal brokers, and their return is a huge opportunity for creators with the opportunity to attend and network.

TwitchCon is boasting two separate events in 2022, giving streamers the ability to finally connect face to face with fans. In April, PAX Prime and PAX East return in Boston, which will be a good indicator of consumer’s appetites for braving travel and crowds.

Gamers are yearning for some IRL face-to-face time with friends and family. And event attendance in 2022 is expected to be massive as events are open to industry ilk and consumers.

Streamers (especially those just starting out and/or on a budget) are often at a disadvantage when it comes to the games they can stream. The latest and most-popular streaming titles are power-hungry, requiring expensive and often unavailable (thanks, chip shortage!) hardware robust enough for a broadcast-quality experience.

Thankfully cloud gaming technology found in platforms like Amazon’s Luna and NVIDIA’s GeForce Now are advanced enough to facilitate lag-free streaming from a nearly infinite library through any device. That’s good news for streamers who stream on older laptops or mobile devices.

If there’s one positive thing the pandemic has given content creators, it’s the ability to endure (and thrive) during incredibly challenging times. Though uncertainty is certain, 2022 offers incredible opportunities for those with conviction.