The year 2021 was a strange one for the games industry. On one hand, companies continued to rake in huge revenue, as people couped up at home spent more time than ever playing games. It continued to earn big, ending another great year as sales went up.
On the other hand, big titles from the AAA companies like Activision, EA and Ubisoft continued the trend of releasing unpolished and buggy, and customer satisfaction levels plummeted. Big releases like Battlefield 2042 made news for the state they launched in.
Then there were the delays; anticipated titles like PS5 exclusives Horizon Forbidden West and God of War Ragnarok got pushed to next year. So did Cyberpunk 2077's planned DLC content, which angered many fans, given the state of the game.
Some delays were welcome like the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake which was pushed to 2022 after initial reception to its unveiling had been met with criticism.
Sequel to the cult classic Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, Bloodlines 2 continued to stagnate in development hell as Paradox interactive pushed the game out of its 2021 release window, delaying it without announcing another date. It took developer Hardsuit Labs off the project and said it will find new talent to replace them.
Racing sim Gran Turismo 7 was delayed to March 2022 and the new Need for Speed title was pushed into the 2023 release window.
Overall, we saw a lot of delay announcements as companies struggled to adjust to life post COVID-19, and having to work from home.
The good news is that 2021 is finally coming to an end and as we bid goodbye, let's take a look at some games to look forward to in 2022.
January
God of War (2018) was one of the best selling games for the PlayStation 4 and will make its way to PCs in January 2022. Sony has promised a lot of features for the PC release like support for 4K, improved visuals, Nvidia DLSS support and more.
Nathan Drake will also make the jump to PC, not long after Kratos with the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection. The remastered collection will include Uncharted 4: A Thief's End and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, two of the recent titles in the franchise, originally released for the PlayStation 4.
Capcom's Nintendo Switch exclusive Monster Hunter Rise is expected on PCs next year, so is the next instalment in Ubisoft's Rainbow Six franchise, Rainbow Six Extraction which was delayed out of its 2021 release window.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus will also make its way to Nintendo Switch.
February
The second game in the Dying Light franchise, Stay Human is expected in February next year, followed by Sifu, a rogue lite beat-em up with a variety of moves and unique mechanics.
Massively successful Korean MMO, Lost Ark, is making its way to the west next year with publishing being handled by Amazon Games.
Elden Ring, the open world, souls-like action game being developed by the creators of Dark Souls, Bloodborne and Sekiro, will release next year. Game of Thrones author George RR Martin is attached to the project and is said to have constructed the mythology of the world, the game is based in.
Then we have a new expansion for Destiny 2, titled The Witch Queen to look forward to. PlayStation 5 exclusive Horizon Forbidden West will also release in the month and so will Total War: Warhammer III.
March
Tiny Tina will be back in the Borderlands franchise with the Borderlands 3 Expansion, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands. Racing sim Gran Turismo 7 is also slated for the month.
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, a fighting game with characters from the JRPGs Persona 3 and 4 will hit storefronts on PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch.
Babylon's Fall, Platinum's live service game with Square Enix is slated for release in March, so is the game based on Starship Troopers, Terran Command.
April
The S.T.A.L.K.E.R franchise will make a return after 12 years of silence following Call of Pripyat in 2009.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 Heart of Chernobyl was announced in 2010, and then cancelled in 2012 before being revived in 2018, with a possible 2021 release date. It will finally come out (hopefully) in 2022.
May
Choice driven narrative RPG Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong, not to be confused with Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 which is currently in development hell, will come out in 2022.
Square Enix's stunning action RPG Forspoken being built on the Luminous game engine will release for PC and PlayStation 5.
August
The Saints Row reboot will release in 2022, and is a reimagining of the franchise which has not seen a new game since Saints Row IV in 2013.
September
The next game in the Test Drive franchise, Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown, makes its way to all consoles and PC.
November
Bethesda's first new franchise in twenty-five years, Starfield will make its debut on November 11, 2022. Very little is known about the game so far, besides the fact that it will be an original, next-generation experience set in a space-themed world.
Titles with no release windows
A Plague Tale: Requiem, the sequel to A Plague Tale: Innocence, is set to be released in 2022. So far there is no firm release window for the game but it is coming for all consoles and PC.
Ubisoft's game based on the world of Pandora from James Cameron's Avatar movie is slated for 2022, so is the Nintendo Switch exclusive Bayonetta 3.
The much-maligned and memed mobile version of Diablo, Diablo Immortal is expected on iOS and Android.
Gotham Knights, WB Games Montreal's new take on the DC universe starring Batgirl, Red Hood, Nightwing and Robin is slated for the year and the sequel to 2018's God of War, Ragnarok, is expected to be on PlayStation 5's in 2022.
Rocksteady's next DC game, Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League is expected to hit storefronts in 2022, and a new real-time strategy game based on the Terminator franchise, Terminator: Dark Fate - Defiance, has a 2022 release window.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
