The video game stories that defined the industry in 2021

It has been a heck of a 12 months for the sport enterprise. With the COVID-19 pandemic serving because the backdrop, we’ve had a whole lot of ups and downs this 12 months. From the essential revelations approximately Activision Blizzard to the continuing semiconductor scarcity that keeps to effect production, 2021 became full of massive headlines. Here are a number of the largest memories that described the 12 months in gaming.

PS5 and Xbox Series X nevertheless skinny at the ground

The pandemic’s effect on production and international deliver chains is possibly nowhere greater obtrusive than withinside the international of gaming. More than a 12 months out from the release of the Xbox Series X and PlayStation five, each consoles are nevertheless very hard to locate.

While the inventory shortages can also additionally have eased particularly as we moved in the course of the 12 months, it’s tough to look proof of that on shop shelves. We have a international semiconductor scarcity to thank for those consoles being tough to locate, and a few withinside the enterprise are pronouncing that we can be feeling the outcomes of this scarcity for a while to come.

That isn’t encouraging for people who need to improve to new hardware however ought to deal with inventory that sells out right away due to excessive demand, robots that could take a look at out quicker than any human, and scalpers who view this scarcity as a manner to make a sleazy buck. Will consoles just like the PS5 and Xbox Series X come to be simpler to locate at any factor in the course of 2022? We’ll preserve our palms crossed, however after the closing years, we’re now no longer precisely hopeful.

Activision Blizzard makes a horrific scandal worse

The debate approximately which essential writer is the worst stays contentious. Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Activision Blizzard, and Take-Two are frequently on the pinnacle of the list, relying on who you ask, however if we needed to choose the worst one for the 12 months overall, it’d absolutely be Activision Blizzard.

In July, Activision Blizzard became hit with a lawsuit from the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing [PDF] alleging that the writer has allowed a subculture of sexual harassment and abuse to fester for years. Ever due to the fact that lawsuit became made public, Activision has reputedly long past out of its manner to behave as cartoonishly evil as possible.

As if tone-deaf press releases and bog-trendy company empty guarantees weren’t sufficient, Activision Blizzard made matters worse on severa occasions. The DFEH has increased its lawsuit to allege that the agency interfered with its investigation, even as a latest bombshell file from The Wall Street Journal alleged that Activision leader Bobby Kotick had recognized approximately those sexual misconduct allegations for years, at a few factors reportedly hiding the ones proceedings and settlements from the Board of Directors. If you idea it couldn’t get worse, the WSJ’s file claims Kotick threatened to kill an assistant at one factor.

It’s tough to assume how Activision Blizzard’s Board may want to probable justify maintaining Bobby Kotick in his role after the 12 months the agency simply had, however they’ll likely locate a few shaky justification for it after which hold on performing like any is well.

The screen of the Steam Deck impresses

Despite 2021’s first-class efforts to stamp out a laugh and excitement, there had been nevertheless a few vibrant spots. Perhaps the largest became Valve’s screen of the Steam Deck, a hand held PC gaming system that seems like a grown-up Nintendo Switch.

While we’ve but to get our fingers on a Steam Deck and strive it for ourselves, the promise it makes is an attractive one: play your PC video games at the go together with a fairly effective hand held. While the Steam Deck glaringly isn’t going to in shape our gaming computer systems and laptops in phrases of power, the concept of actually transportable PC video games is greater than sufficient to make us now no longer care withinside the least.

Sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic compelled Valve to put off the Steam Deck’s release via way of means of more than one months, however assuming there aren’t anyt any greater delays, we must get the hazard to look if the Steam Deck surely achieves the dream beginning in February 2022. If the Steam Deck can supply on its promise, it can thoroughly alternate the manner we play PC video games.

Microsoft makes a massive buy

Microsoft kicked off 2021 with a bang, saying in March that it had finished its buy of ZeniMax Media and all of its subsidiaries. While ZeniMax may not be a family call, a few of the studios below its umbrella are. With this acquisition – which set the agency returned an eye-watering $7.five billion – Microsoft right away became the likes of Bethesda, identityentification Software, Tango Gameworks, and Arkane Studios (amongst others) into Xbox Game Studios.

PlayStation ruled the closing technology with its awareness on pumping out stellar PS4 exclusives, however with the purchase of ZeniMax, we noticed Microsoft even the gambling discipline in an instant. It wasn’t lengthy after the purchase became finished that we noticed many ZeniMax video games come to Xbox Game Pass, from The Elder Scrolls and Fallout collection to DOOM and Wolfenstein.

But Microsoft did now no longer spend $7.five billion simply to strengthen the Xbox Game Pass library (aleven though that may be a massive perk). The agency definitely plans to make Bethesda’s massive upcoming video games distinctive to Xbox and PC, probable tempting the ones PlayStation lovers who additionally need to play The Elder Scrolls VI or destiny Fallout titles over to group Xbox. Whether or now no longer the ones distinctive Bethesda titles will force Xbox income that in any other case might not have took place stays to be visible, however having massive franchises like The Elder Scrolls and Fallout as exclusives genuinely isn’t going to hurt.

Sony is going shopping

Microsoft wasn’t the best agency to jot down a few tests this 12 months. Sony did the equal thing, aleven though it made smaller, plenty greater centered acquisitions than Microsoft did. This 12 months alone, Sony has obtained studios consisting of Housemarque, Nixxes Software, Firesprite, Fabrik Games, Bluepoint Games, and Valkyrie Entertainment.

Some of those are apparent purchases. Housemarque, for instance, evolved Returnal, one of the earliest PlayStation five exclusives out of the gate and a name that you’ll absolute confidence see on a whole lot of 12 months-quit “Best of” lists. Meanwhile, Nixxes has been answerable for a lot of Sony’s PC ports, suggesting that the ones will best hold withinside the destiny. Bluepoint, on the alternative hand, has made numerous more suitable remakes, such as Shadow of the Colossus and Demon’s Souls.

Perhaps the strangest of Sony’s acquisitions this 12 months became that of Evolution Championship Series, or Evo for short. Evo is certainly considered one among the largest – if now no longer the largest – combating recreation tournaments of the 12 months, so we see Sony dipping its hand into the arena of esports here. Technically, Sony’s acquisition of Evo is a joint undertaking with some other esports agency referred to as Endeavor, so it doesn’t have sole possession over the tournament, however we’re nevertheless excited to look how the occasion can also additionally alternate with Sony calling at the least a number of the shots.

This isn’t always the Switch Pro you’re searching for

It looks like ever because the Nintendo Switch first released in 2017, there had been whispers and rumors approximately an upcoming Switch Pro. Of course, the rumored specs of any such system modified a couple of instances in the course of the years, however essentially, it became stated to be a greater effective model of the Switch. Often, the ones Switch Pro rumors had been paired with communicate of a hand held-best Switch Lite, so while that have become a truth in 2019, many humans anticipated the Switch Pro rumors to pan out the equal manner.

While 2021 did convey us a brand new Switch, what we were given genuinely wasn’t the Switch Pro. Instead, Nintendo released the Switch OLED, a console that best gives improvements over the same old Switch in some very precise areas.

As the call suggests, the Switch OLED has an OLED show that appears as a substitute good. It additionally has a higher kickstand, greater inner storage, and a brand new dock, however it’s functionally similar to the same old dock past an included LAN port. While we located that Switch OLED is the version to shop for for people who are shopping for a Switch for the primary time, it’s now no longer really well worth the improve for cutting-edge Switch proprietors. After cautious analysis, we decided that this without a doubt isn’t the Switch Pro, so hopeful Switch proprietors will ought to preserve waiting.

Sora showed for Smash

The madmen without a doubt did it. The closing DLC fighter for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate became showed to be none aside from Sora from the Kingdom Hearts collection after years of what the fanbase figured became pie-in-the-sky dreaming.

Somehow, Nintendo labored it out with Disney and Square Enix, and the end result became one heck of a send-off for the largest Super Smash Bros. recreation ever created. Savor the feeling, Smash Bros. lovers, due to the fact the lengths Nintendo nearly genuinely needed to visit make this deal paintings nearly guarantees we’ll in no way see a person screen in this stage again.

Billion-greenback agency sues trillion-greenback agency, not anything changes

Apple and Epic went at it withinside the court docket this 12 months, with Epic trying to evade the hefty 30�eApple takes on every iOS App Store transaction. Last 12 months, Epic commenced marketing and marketing an instantaneous charge technique withinside the iOS model of Fortnite that could have sidestepped the App Store’s charge systems, which means Epic may want to preserve that reduce for itself.

Apple glaringly didn’t like that, so it eliminated Fortnite from the iOS App Store and took away Epic’s improvement privileges. Epic became seemingly anticipating this reaction and shot returned with a lawsuit towards Apple, alleging it became monopolistic with the iOS App Store’s guidelines and asking to now no longer best have Fortnite reinstated however additionally to compel Apple to permit builders to talk approximately change charge strategies in-app.

The lawsuit became determined on the whole on Apple’s prefer in advance this 12 months, however even the only win Epic were given is on keep till the appeals system is over, so for now, now no longer plenty has modified. Fortnite stays unavailable on iOS, however past that, it became simply agencies with a ton of cash bickering over expenses in the front of a judge.

Lucasfilm Games returns and the Star Wars license spreads

Shortly after 2021 began, Disney introduced that it became reviving the Lucasfilm Games logo to behave because the licensor of Lucasfilm houses for video video games. That wasn’t the massive announcement – LucasArts were licensing those houses for video games due to the fact Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012, so officially, this became best a call alternate and now no longer plenty greater.

What observed that call alternate had been the massive announcements. We discovered that Machine Games might be growing an Indiana Jones name with Bethesda performing as writer, even as numerous studios are operating on new Star Wars video games. We realize that Massive Entertainment is operating on an open international name, even as Quantic Dream has already teased its narrative-pushed Star Wars recreation, and Aspyr has found out its Knights of the Old Republic remake. When you take into account that Respawn Entertainment is sort of genuinely operating on a follow-as much as Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, there’s lots to be enthusiastic about if you’re a Star Wars fan.

There’s masses of motive to be excited to look Star Wars enlarge to different publishers and studios other than Electronic Arts. Even aleven though we’ve gotten beyond the loot container debacle that marred the release of Star Wars Battlefront II years ago, it’s notable to pay attention that a couple of studios are operating on their personal Star Wars universe titles. Perhaps those upcoming video games can fill the void that stays following a positive underwhelming sequel trilogy? Here’s hoping.

Wrap-Up

So, on the quit of it all, 2021 became a 12 months of a few thrilling highs, a few shockingly low lows, and lots in between. It genuinely wasn’t the maximum first-rate 12 months withinside the video games enterprise, however after all the delays we’ve visible in 2021, 2022 is asking like a specifically robust 12 months. Hopefully, the worldwide semiconductor scarcity will ease subsequent 12 months so we will nicely get transferring directly to the following technology and all that it entails.