As is the case every year, 2019 has had several big announcements, reveals, and controversies take place. Sometimes, these are specifically related to a certain game, whereas others deals with the shake-ups in the industry itself. Sometimes, it is the form of protest, solidarity, or splits. And while there are plenty of these that take place, only a few shape the future.
Incidents like the Riot Games walkout and theannouncement of a newBioShockgamewill certainly be remembered, but with so much happening in one year, they aren’t necessarily the biggest. With that in mind, here are the biggest video game news stories of 2019.
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Activision Layoffs
Unfortunately, layoffs are inevitable in many industries including gaming, yet while instances like Telltale Games shutting down/laying off employees was understandable, if still heartbreaking,Activision’s 2019 layoffsare less understandable. Activision laid off 8% of its staff this year, which roughly translates to 800 jobs, which sounds like something a company in financial distress would do. However, Activision claimed to have “record-setting” revenue for its 2018 fiscal year, but despite this, sales still did not meet expectations.
Anthem’s Rushed Development
At E3 2017, BioWare revealed that showed offAnthemand built up a lot of hype for the game, but when it released in February 2019, its reception quickly proved that somewhere, somehow BioWare dropped the ball. It wasn’t until theKotakuexpose dropped in the following April that this controversy and perhaps disappointment hit its stride. It was revealed that the E3 2017 was completely faked, thatAnthemwasn’t even supposed to be the name of it, and instead of the 6 years of development time it reportedly had, it was rushed and put together in 18 months.
Now, BioWare has been working on makingAnthembetter, and there is more content than there was at launch. There is even a reportedAnthem Nextoverhaulon its way, but this news story puts more on the mind of gamer’s than just ifAnthemwill dig itself out of its hole. With two critical flops to its name now, how will the nextDragon Ageand the in-early developmentMass Effectturn out? Only time will tell.
The Blizzard-Hong Kong Controversy
Just beforeBlizzCon 2019, Blizzard found itself embroiled in controversy after banning Ng Wai “blitzchung” Chung fromHearthstonefor expressing Pro-Hong Kong sentiment during an interview. Gamers, politicians, and more quickly derided Blizzard for this decision, while also expressing that it is likely due to Blizzard’s position in the Chinese market. Many saw it as an American company taking up for China, but Blizzard denied this. It did acknowledge that it acted too quickly, later restoring Blitzchung’s winnings and reducing his ban.
The Bungie-Activision Split
Not only was this one of the biggest news stories of the year, but the Bungie-Activision Split was also one of the most surprising. In early January, it was revealed that Bungie was separating from Activision and would be taking over self-publishing rights forDestiny 2. This quickly created a lot of changes for the Sci-Fi shooter, with many still questioning whether or not this was a good decision. It remains to be seen, but Shadowkeep brought the main story line ofDestinyback to the forefront and on-going events could be inspiringDestiny 3, with all this pointing toward the right direction.
Google Stadia Announcement
In March 2o19, Google announced its cloud gaming service known as Stadia, which is advertised to stream games at 4K 60 FPS, to connect wireless across a multitude of devices, and not require internet speeds that were outrageous. AlthoughGoogle Stadia reviewsthus far have been a mixed bag, it is the first major cloud gaming service launched, with many thinking that streaming and cloud games are still the future of the industry. The latter remains to be seen, but it’s clear that Google intended to do it first. Where it goes from here may be a determining factor on the role of cloud gaming in the future.
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Microsoft Studio Acquisitions & Developments (Continued)
In 2018, Xbox acquired Compulsion Games, inXile Entertainment, Ninja Theory, Obsidian Entertainment, Playground Games, and Undead Labs. This continued into 2019 with theacquisition of Double Fineand the establishment of World’s Edge as a managerial studio. It brings the total studio count for first-party games to 15, with more exclusive games currently in development than ever before. Considering that this lack of exclusive games is one of the brand’s biggest criticisms, 2019 carried on the trend of setting this right, which may pay off come Holiday 2020.
PS5 Confirmation & Details
Earlier this year, Sony shocked the world by revealing a few details about its PS5 and the presumably-named DualShock 5 controller, including two controller features and the PS5’s CPU, GPU, and SSD. While Sony managing the amount of information levied is likely part of its competition with Microsoft, the latter company took front and center with details with the Xbox Series X reveal recently stepping to bat. PS5 will likely hit back with a rumored event in February, but for now, those interested in specifics can check out everything we know about thePS5 and Xbox Series X specs.
Reggie’s Retirement
After 15 years at Nintendo, Reggie Fils-Aime retired as President this year. It was a heartfelt moment for Nintendo fans the world over, as Reggie has made a name for himself with jokes and even memes. Fans may remember instances such as the Regginator or “My Body is Ready,” and his role in the industry over the past few years. However, while his time as Nintendo of America’s President is over, Reggie is still clearly involved with the industry. He appeared at theGame Awards 2019recently, much to the joy (and speculation of fans), so it’s nice to know that he still has his hand on the industry in some regard.
Sony Buys Insomniac Games
Although it has worked with Sony in the past, Insomniac Games has always prided itself on its independence and ability to make good games and explore new options. The latter led toSunset Overdrivebeing developed as an Xbox exclusive, which thanks to Sony’s purchase of Insomniac Games, is now owned by Sony as well. Because of this, it was a bit of a shock when Sony announced the acquisition, yet not entirely too surprising. Insomniac Games had just developedMarvel’s Spider-Manfor the PS4, and this means more resources foranotherSpider-Mangame. Given the popularity of the title, this is almost guaranteed to be a win-win for consumers.
Xbox Series X Reveal
It seems Microsoft was determined to end the year with the bang, as Phil Spencer took the stage at the Game Awards 2019 to reveal its next-gen console series:The Xbox Series X. There are still a lot of questions remaining about the next-gen console, but it’s received some pretty generous traction since then, with the Series X reveal being far more popular than the Xbox One reveal. As such, it seems that Xbox is determined not to repeat the mistakes of the past, so here’s hoping that when both consoles drop in Holiday 2020, it ends that year with a bang too.
