The Oncoming Game Blitzkrieg

After a banner 2017 year in games with potential all-timers like Breath of the Wild, Nier: Automata, Super Mario Odyssey, Horizon: Zero Dawn and many others, 2018 has felt more fluctuating at this point. There has been a spattering of different and interesting titles, but it seems like the barrage that pummeled everyone with intense consistency throughout the entirety of last year has left a number of gaps this year. I don’t know if it has anything to do with companies reconfiguring and trying to chase after the Battle Royale market or perhaps from looking at the shitstorm EA endured (namely from Battlefront 2) and needing to rethink things. It could be as simple as no games were ready to go early this year even though there seemed to be ample opportunity to succeed in what has been an open window.

The upside to the numerous dry spells is it has allowed for passed over games from last year (or the last couple of years) to get a second chance. There also just so happens to be a console in the Nintendo Switch that has provided an opportunity for these games which are inherently old releases to populate a new storefront and attract new eyes. From Darkest Dungeon to Hollow Knight,

indie games that received some amount of buzz have found incredible success on a system that has stolen the hearts and minds of gamers. It’s nice to see, as many indie developers probably have to look at early sales of their game to determine if it was a prosperous undertaking or not. While it’s not a bad thing to have lulls in the release schedule, especially when there are plenty of games from last year that many people wanted but couldn’t find time to try, the problem is that it exemplifies that this year there seems to be a lack of truly new things available. One good example of this is the excitement behind the No Man’s Sky NEXT update (and first release on Xbox One). Of course, there is reason to be excited about that generally speaking, it’s a fascinating story of keeping a game alive that had as much artillery pointed its way possible after a misguided pre-release campaign led to a flubbed and lackluster launch. But, there is also nothing coming out, the biggest release has been Octopath Traveler which is aided simply because it is a Nintendo Switch exclusive (from a 3rd party nonetheless) during an extremely quiet period. People are looking to get back into No Man’s Sky partially out of rabid curiosity but also because the bombardment of games that happened last year hasn’t overwhelmed. I wonder what the better ideal is. Do you want an early swell of great game releases so that you have a few games you know you are going to play (ie. Breath of the Wild for me last year), but also people adamantly expressing fervor for the other games released during the same time (ie. Nier: Automata and Persona 5) that you weren’t planning on playing for a while or skipping over completely, creating a need or want to play those games ASAP? Or, do you want a relatively spotty year that creates more wiggle room for people to explore old games or smaller games that wouldn’t have gotten the same recognition during a busy year? It’s been fascinating to watch this year unfold after 2017, and as we get further away from it, it seems like last year may be more of an aberration joining the hallowed halls of 1998 and 2007 as all-time calendar years for games.

As we creep ever closer to early August the warm welcoming hands of John Madden and his (which he has nothing to do with) National Football League video game are waiting patiently, with index finger caressing the big red button labeled “FALL RELEASES”. While the early year and summer months have felt a little dry, the traditional fall video game release period is potentially packed with serious bangers like: Spiderman, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, not to mention new additions to perennial super sellers like Call of Duty, Battlefield and Forza Horizon, as well as new renditions on Fallout and Assassin’s Creed. With so many heavy hitters waiting for a fall release, I wonder how many games will get passed over this year, without the chance to go back to them. Starting with the fall releases this year, it seems like video game releases and potential big-time news will have gamers looking forward to all the new and passing over anything old. Once the fall floodgates open, it’s not stopping early next year, with one of the most densely packed February/March months potentially ever leading into an E3 with a potential for new hardware being discussed and into next fall. Starting in just a couple of weeks with Madden 19 and We Happy Few, the next 16 - 18 months could be a whirlwind of new activity and leave no place for something like Hollow Knight finding a renewed audience.