The gaming industry is one that is unlike any other in media.
The amount of time and workforce it takes to assemble a project together has grown exponentially just as the ambition and scope of so many games, with some adopting larger-than-life maps, others aiming for photo-realistic gameplay and the odd few creating timeless stories that stay with us.
There is so much potential out there and with studios testing out both new IPs as well as reinvigorating old ones and moving them into the gaming media there is so much potential out there to create some modern classics.
However, so much can go change in a game from when we receive the first trailer through to release date. What initially might have felt like a slam dunk for both studios and audiences can quickly dissipate before launch.
Especially in the age where games can now be fixed post-launch and so are rushed to production and given recent outings proving let’s say….disappointing. Gamers are more cautious than ever and so struggle to trust any project until they have tried it for themselves.
So given all we have upcoming, let’s take a look at 5 highly anticipated games we might need to worry about.
Saints Row
Did you know Saints Row comes out today? No? Don’t worry neither did the rest of the world.
Saints Row (2022) promised to be a fresh new take on the classic wacky games we grew up with, giving them a fresh coat of paint, bringing the gameplay into the modern era of gaming and levelling down on the craziness…for some reason?
The initial trailer was met with mixed reviews to say the least but many fans were still optimistic this could be the game to transform the series back to its heyday. However, after the reveal that developers Deep Silver Volition, LLC were going for a more grounded and down-to-earth version of the game, alarm bells really started to ring.
Saints Row whole identity is just how balls to the wall crazy it would go and so the plan to quite literally strip[ it of its identity is never going to go well. That mixed little to no marketing campaign in the lead up to launch you almost have to question why they bothered seeing the project through as it feels they have as little faith in this project succeeding as we do.
Release date: 23rd August 2022
God Of War Ragnarok
One that may prove controversial to many and before we carry on I want to make very clear, I have no desire to see this game fail, nor do I believe it will be a bad game per say and I hope I am wrong about this but hear me out first about why I am worried.
Cast your mind back to 2018 when we were first met with the quite honestly astonishingly beautiful reboot of God Of War, it was a truly masterful game and one that would struggle to be topped in both presentation, gameplay and storyline, going hand in hand with the likes of The Last Of Us and Red Dead Redemption.
Think about those phenomenal games though and their sequels, no one is doubting they are also triumphs but the former took 8 years to come to fruition and the latter 7, God Of War Ragnarok has had half that time and more than a year of its production in the confined of lockdown which has proved a struggle for many projects.
For a game that promises to be bigger and better in every sense, already stating that all realms will be possible to see in this entry, it all seems slightly too ambitious given the timeframe.
As well as the fact we only just recently got the confirmation of a release date of later this year and no actual gameplay to be seen, God Of War Ragnarok might have proven too much for Santa Monica studio to push out given its initial purpose was to promote the PS5 and could do with even a year more in production to produce the game it deserves to be.
Release Date: 8th November 2022
Hogwarts Legacy
Harry Potter and the money maker.
An IP that 10 years ago felt like a sure-fire way to double your money (at least) no questions asked. No matter what the project was, as long as it was related to the mystifying and magical wizarding world, it was enough to all but guarantee profits,
However, we are a far cry from those days now, I am not denying that the original 8 films are still absolute money makers and hold a special place in many British people’s hearts, from a creator with their own issues to the casting problems of the prequels, it is looking as if it won’t be the franchise that lived.
Given all these issues with the IP, a quite frankly lacklustre reveal of the gameplay and the announcement that it has just been delayed, for the 3rd time, Hogwarts Legacy is a game that is definitely raising a few eyebrows, but not for the right reason.
All hope is not lost for what could be a phenomenal and spectacular game, one that promises a wide exploration of the castle and grounds far beyond, in a time never seen before in such a universe. But given little push in the way of marketing, a short 2-month delay, and now releasing in the odd time of February we can’t help but speculate if we will truly be receiving a magical experience or a cyberpunk 2022 2.0.
A studio that is aware of the issues in the project and so announced a short delay to just about get it up to scratch so that gamers can’t request refunds, all the signs are there as gamers wait cautiously for this release.
Release Date: 10th February 2023
Gotham Knights
Everyone seemed eagerly excited for Gotham Knights, the launch trailer showed off an amazing roster of characters you could play as in this world as well as introducing a dark toned story about facing off against the court of owls (finally!)
It seemed Gotham Knights could do no wrong.
And then, we got a preview of the gameplay.
A state of play to build hype around the release could not have gone any worse for Warner Bros studios, leaving fans more disappointed than excited which only got worse as different gameplays went on.
Gone was the hype as we saw the actual game that we will likely be getting, one that didn’t feel like a city alive, but empty, and dull, and without any real colour to it. From what we got a glimpse of, it feels as if this will be a game that got away with the bare minimum in its open-world concept, likely leaving fans frustrated that it is a step down from the Arkham series we received over 7 years ago.
And despite the studio insisting that this is not a direct sequel to those games, you know, the game that finished with Batman’s death after establishing the four main characters you play as in Gotham Knights exist in this series, yeah that one.
You can’t have your cake and eat it too Warner Bros Games.
Release Date: 25th October 2022
Forespoken
Oh, Forespoken….what could have been.
To this day, I don’t know if we just got tricked with a really expensive fancy looking reveal trailer when we first got introduced to this mythical title back in June 2020 during the PS5 showcase or if the game actually had potential at some point and something very, very wrong went on during production.
Ever since, it has all been downhill for the upcoming release, from lacklustre and unimaginative gameplay reveal, to an ad that became so cringe-inducing and laughable, it didn’t take long for the parodies to start to appear.
Forespoken has to be one of the biggest let-downs on the entire list being the only one that was 100% truly and wholly original, with the possibility to have spawned sequels, shows and film adaptations and a whole new world to explore from scratch.
But with even a recent quietened delay and what feels like a dev team that has fallen out of love with their project, Forespoken is set to go down as a largely forgotten footnote in the gaming industry.
Release Date: 24th January 2023
