The prevailing trend in gaming seems to favor the integration of social networking and co-operative play. This could carry over to the world of console gaming – we’ve heard about the Nintendo Wii U and its Miiverse app, but Microsoft and Sony may follow suit when they release their own next-gen consoles and include features conducive to social interaction.

Studio Liverpool’s Graeme Ackers shared with Eurogamer the possibility of these features becoming a part of next-generation console gaming, as it could be “really fun” for a gamer to help his/her friend achieve certain goals.

He also believes that gaming in about five to ten years from now may be even more in favor of social interaction, as it could be a real challenge to develop games conducive to solo play.

Aside from facilitating interaction between players, Ackers predicts that console gaming may include cross-platform functionality in the future, to further enhance the “social networking” aspect of playing video games. One example he mentioned was a hypothetical situation where he would be playing and interacting with his daughter despite operating a PS3 and PS Vita respectively.

There is indeed a good possibility that both Microsoft and Sony will make social interaction a priority when they release their next-gen gaming devices, but it still may be a while before we see them.

The tentative release date for both Xbox 720 and PS4 could fall anywhere between late 2013 and early 2014.