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We’re almost at the finish line of 2022, and it’s one for the history books. This year, in no particular order, we had multiple acquisitions, major game and hardware launches, huge leaks – oh, and a war that still threatens the lives of several members of our community. This is the year we saw the birth of the Steam Deck and the death of Google Stadia. We’ve seen tragedy, drama, success and so much controversy. Now that we’re about to move to the other side, let’s look back at how we did in 2022.
Microsoft kicked off this year by announcing in January that it planned to acquire Activision Blizzard. An acquisition on that scale was unheard of, so that quickly made our collective blood beat faster. This month, the FTC announced it would file a lawsuit to block the acquisition pending further investigation. As a result, the deal feels like a nice bookend on both sides of 2022. Sony has gotten involved in the process by pointing out all the ways the deal will hurt “competition” (i.e. Sony itself) if it goes through. That has become the source of an ongoing drama.
Activision was far from the only company picked up this year. Embracer went on a bargain hunt, grabbing Eidos Montreal, Square Enix Montreal (later renamed Onoma, now defunct), Crystal Dynamics, Tuxedo Labs, Middle-earth Enterprises, Limited Run Games, Tripwire Interactive, and others. It was far from the only company to buy up studios – Sony took over Bungie, Haven Studios and Savage Game Studios. Still, no one was as enthusiastic as Embracer.
Then, in what would have otherwise been a quiet week, someone out there leaked a game no less than Grand Theft Auto VI. The very early footage that was reportedly wiped from Rockstar’s Slack server showed that the new title will feature three playable characters and will be set in Vice City. The alleged hacker was later arrested by the police. It’s not the only major game leak that happened in 2022, but it was certainly the biggest.
Unfortunately, not all stories were as frivolous and easy to take lightly as the ones above. Russia attacked Ukraine in February. Ukraine is home to a large and thriving game development community (not that it would change the horror of the situation, even if it didn’t), so this directly affected several beloved studios. Some games companies, such as GOG, Humble and Epic, have campaigned to raise money in support of Ukraine.
Here in America, we lost the protections granted to us by Roe v Wade, and game companies came out in (relatively) large numbers to voice their support for the reproductive rights of their employees. Sure, it’s lip service, but that’s still way more than women like me have gotten in the past — and isn’t that a depressing thought.
As we head into 2023, let’s hope for a year just as exciting, but perhaps a little less fraught. There’s a whole new group of games waiting for us. I wish everyone in the industry the best in the new year.
What to play this week
What’s new:
- Sports story
- Magic Potion Craft
- Coffee shop magnate
- Melatonin
New on subscription services:
- Far Cry 5 (PlayStation Plus Extra & Premium)
- Far Cry New Dawn (PlayStation Plus Extra & Premium)
- Far Cry Primal (PlayStation Plus Extra & Premium)
- Mortal Shell (PlayStation Plus Extra & Premium)
- Judgment (PlayStation Plus Extra & Premium)
- Yakuza: Like a Dragon (PlayStation Plus Extra & Premium)
- Yakuza 6: The Song of Life (PlayStation Plus Extra & Premium)
- Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor (PlayStation Plus Extra & Premium)
- Middle Earth: Shadow of War (PlayStation Plus Extra & Premium)
- The Pedestrian (PlayStation Plus Extra & Premium)
- Evil Genius 2 (PlayStation Plus Extra & Premium)
- Adventure Time Pirates of the Enchiridion (PlayStation Plus Extra & Premium)
- Ben 10: Power Trip (PlayStation Plus Extra & Premium)
- Gigantosaurus The Game (PlayStation Plus Extra & Premium)
- Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire – Ultimate Edition (PlayStation Plus Extra & Premium)
- Worms WMD (PlayStation Plus Extra & Premium)
- The Escapists 2 (PlayStation Plus Extra & Premium)
- Ridge Racer 2 (PlayStation Plus Premium)
- Heavenly Sword (PlayStation Plus Premium)
- Oddworld: Abe’s Exoddus (PlayStation Plus Premium)
- Pinball Heroes (PlayStation Plus Premium)
- Dinkum (GeForce Now)
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