The past two years saw a number of games being delayed due to complications brought up by the pandemic. Developing a game is hard enough, trying to do it all from home adds a whole new level of problems.
What was supposed to be a time filled with some of the most anticipated releases in recent memory became a daily waiting game of whether or not a studio will post an announcement for a delayed game.
In worse cases, (and what is sadly the trend as well) a high-profile game is released, but it’s in a broken and unplayable state. Shoutout to Cyberpunk 2077 and Battlefield 2042 for being the frontliners of this cause. Maybe developers should stop putting a year in their game titles? It’s starting to look like bad juju.
But this isn’t about the past stinkers. 2022 is finally here and it’s shaping up to be one of gaming’s best years yet.
High-profile IPs are finally set to release this year. Years of extended development, fan anticipation, and hype campaigns are all (hopefully) about to pay off.
Just to name some top dogs, February alone has Techland’s Dying Light 2, Guerilla Games’s Horizon Forbidden West, Destiny 2’s The Witch Queen Expansion, and From Software’s Elden Ring. My wallet is about to have the fight of its life.
Talk about starting the year with a bang right? Do you think it’s over and have time to recover losses? Funny. Throughout the year we have the likes of Gran Turismo 7, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, Starfield, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl, Gotham Knights, and so much more that if I attempt to list down all of it here, I’m going to give my editor a headache.
As if the stakes aren’t high enough already, studios that have won various Game of the Year awards with their previous releases are set to compete with each other for the title once more in 2022.
Sony Santa Monica’s God of War Ragnarok and Guerilla Games’s Horizon Forbidden West are both direct sequels to some of the most successful PlayStation 4 exclusives.
From Software’s Elden Ring, is the much-anticipated collaboration between the creators of the groundbreaking SoulsBorne and Sekiro games and George R. R. Martin, the writer of the Game of Thrones books.
And of course, Nintendo isn’t going to make the competition any easier. The sequel to 2017’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is also set to release later this year.
Not interested in any of these titles and would prefer sticking to your old ones? Upcoming remasters are also in 2022 ready to tempt you with those sweet new visuals and framerates. Next-gen upgrades of Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3 are gearing up to be CD Projekt Red’s apology to its long-time fans after a disastrous launch of its latest RPG.
And these are just some of the games we are aware of as of now. Who knows what kind of surprises studios have in store for us this year?
Whatever type of gamer you may be on whatever platform it is you choose, you are going to be feasting this year. We’ve all waited long enough. Here’s to hoping it was all worth it. Start breaking open those piggy banks, you probably don’t want to miss any of these.