As we close out on what has been - at best - an incredibly weird year for games, it’s time we do what people always do in this industry: Move on to what’s next before even being finished with what’s happening now.
Sure, you may have just unwrapped some of the biggest games of the year and can’t wait to play them. Perhaps you got Far Cry 6 and Rider’s Republic on sale. Great. Better get them done before that clock hits midnight, because otherwise you’re basically just playing retro games that time has forgotten.
That said, there’s a lot to look forward to in 2022 such as Elden Ring, Breath of the Wild 2, and Bobby Kotick actually facing consequences for once in his life. While Elden Ring seems to be locked in for release early next year, it’s starting to seem like Breath of the Wild 2 and Activision Blizzard executives doing the right thing might be delayed for a while.
But just as the new year brings new hopes, it also brings new worries. The discussion around NFTs in games will only grow as companies vampire cash from suckers. And chip shortages are still leading to many gamers feeling left out of the next generation. A lot could go right in 2022, but going by the last all of the years, a lot could also go wrong.
With that in mind, there are some things we hope the video game industry does this year. Siri, format for list.
5. Fire Bobby Kotick
Right off the bat, man. Come on. True, the harassment and abuse issues at Activision Blizzard are structural from top-to-bottom, and painting Bobby Kotick alone as the villain inadvertently erases much of the damage that can be done by people in positions of power who don’t face the public. But Bobby Kotick is the one who allegedly allowed it to happen and allegedly did things himself. I’m throwing “allegedly” in there because I feel like I have to do that. Allegedly.
4. Nintendo & Sony Follow Microsoft to the Game Pass Promised Land
No pun intended, but Game Pass has changed the game! While Sony has attempted a patchwork catchup to Game Pass, Nintendo has disappointed a lot of people with its “free” game offerings in its online service. The good news is, there are rumors Sony is on the case and plans on introducing a more robust service to compete with Microsoft’s, one that could allow fans access to many of the company’s beloved first party titles. Unfortunately, Nintendo is less likely to jump on this bandwagon, although not as unlikely as Activision Blizzard acting on the Bobby Kotick issue.
3. No, Seriously, Fire Bobby Kotick
I get this is a pipe dream because businesses are designed for profit, not dignity. If Activision can’t prove cause, it would have to pay Bobby Kotick a lot of money, even though it already pays Kotick a lot of money. It’s wild that there isn’t the same budget for contractors, but what can you do? Bobby Kotick isn’t some random business guy who was hired to run Activision Blizzard. He’s owned part of Activision since 1990. So he was definitely aware of everything that was going on and definitely did not tell the board things he knew. Not to mention the fact he threatened to kill an assistant and, you know, was in Jeffrey Epstein’s phonebook.
2. Sony Fights Facebook’s VR Dominance with PSVR 2
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Naysayers have long nay-said that VR was a fad and yet, this year… You know what, we’re gonna keep talking about Bobby Kotick. Look, the man himself said if the problem isn’t fixed, he would consider resigning. So far, it doesn’t seem like things are fixed. Seems like things are still pretty bad for developers and staff who just want to make the best game possible without hating themselves for living a dream.
1. Fire Bobby Kotick
Come on, Activision Blizzard executives! It’s time to finally live whatever stated values your employees have to learn in an onboarding video! Get rid of Bobby Kotick. It may cost you money. It may be a struggle in the short term. But in the end, you’ll come out a stronger company with happier employees. Which means you’re probably not going to do this. Anyway. Worth a shot.