The source is the PlayStation.
One of the biggest players in the gaming industry is Sony, with a new year and new opportunities. While it wasn't as busy as it could have been, it did release a few titles and invest in new teams for the studio.
More games are on the way with the PS5 entering its second year on the market, as well as exciting new tech and massive industry shakeups. Let's take a look at what to expect from the game in 2022.
What's next after back to back blockbuster releases?
The source is the PlayStation.
Sony will launch some big games in the year. The game is scheduled to arrive on Feb. 18, 2022. Polyphony Digital's Gran Turismo 7, a racing title, will be out on March 4. It seems like a safe bet that God of War Ragnarok will arrive at some point this year since it has been delayed out of 2021, but it doesn't have a release date.
It's sure to complete a trio of well-reviewed, top-selling games regardless of where Ragnarok falls. There's no reason the sequel to God of War should be any different than the first one.
Outside of Sony's first-party, there are a couple of big timed console exclusives that will be added to the upcoming PS3 launch.
Square Enix.
Forspoken from Square Enix is scheduled for May, while Ghostwire Tokyo is scheduled for early in the year. Final Fantasy 16 is the real question mark, but after a long delay in 2021, there will be a huge release of information. With the world continuing to be far from the best of times, and game development hard at the best of times, it's not surprising that this mainline entry in the franchise needs more time.
Even if Final Fantasy 16 doesn't make this year, it's still an impressive slate of software. Is there any titles that could make the cut? With one exception, I'm inclined to say no. The remake of The Last of Us is almost done, and if Sony wanted to synergize with the upcoming The Last of Us show, dropping it alongside it would be a good idea.
I expect Sony to talk more about what's to come in the years to come, while these are the games that can or should arrive in 2022. Over the last few years, Sony has adopted a "we'll talk when we want to" strategy, instead of fighting to stay in the week-to-week news cycle that dominates social media. At some point this year, we need to see a few reveals.
Not everything has to be shown, especially with the company stepping into virtual reality, but there is a plan for the road ahead.
It's PS VR2's time to shine, but at what cost?
The source is the PlayStation.
I expect the company's main focus to be the next-generation of virtual reality gaming, as Sony shared more information on the project at the Consumer Electronics Show. It's a great way to leverage Sony's intellectual property, but more needs to be done. Resident Evil Village and Half-Life Alyx could be brought in by partnerships.
Sony could launch its new virtual reality headset in late 2022. There are a few questions the company needs to answer. Will there be compatibility with the original PSVR games? How much will the controllers cost? It's an exciting proposition, but it needs more clarity.
The elephant is in the room.
The source is Activision.
I still can't comprehend Microsoft's plan to acquire a company that's as big as Activision. It's the biggest change in gaming in a while. For almost $70 billion, Xbox will gain control of some of the most popular video games. It will take some time for the deal to go through, so it won't affect the future of the company. There is a potential issue after that.
Phil Spencer, the CEO of Microsoft gaming, wants Call of Duty to stay on the PS4. Losing Call of Duty is a big blow to Sony's revenue, but it's worth noting that the company still has several free-to-play titles on its system that will rake in revenue.
It's not realistic for Sony to "answer" Microsoft by making a similar purchase. I think Sony will continue to move quickly in buying teams in the future, with the company shoring up additional support and virtual reality studios to make game development as smooth as possible. Sony can't replace lost third-party franchises, but it can ensure its own massive games come out without any problems due to a lack of internal support or limited resources.
There is a rumored competitor to the Game Pass. The value offering needs to be high if the plan is around this service. Maybe Sony will experiment with smaller first-party titles on the first day of the service? I expect PC ports of games to arrive much quicker, speeding up the revenue these not-inexpensive titles can recover.
Sony isn't in trouble, but it needs to make its strategy clear or it will have a problem.
There are new machines to take down.
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