Games to be released early 2022: there is too much to play!

Games to be released early 2022

Gone are the times when there was certainty about the trend of the videogame market during the year. The big releases are no longer concentrated only in the Christmas period, as evidenced by the period of fire represented by the first quarter of 2022, with February playing the lion's share with many high-caliber games. At one time the beginning of the year was considered as a time to cool down, after the holiday period that historically has always been the one in which all the major blockbusters came out.

For some years the situation has changed because many publishers have begun to prefer more strategic locations for games, trying to find spaces as pristine as possible for productions that need more breathing space. Then came the Covid-19 pandemic to further disrupt plans and make any sensible planning of exits based on market needs practically impossible.

Horizon Forbidden West is probably the most important title in the concentration of early 2022 games A law that continues to be followed very strictly is, however, that of the fiscal year: there are no strategies or pandemics that hold in this case, if a game is functional to the annual budget of the company, it must be released by the end of the year relating to financial movements, which is usually March 31st. For this series of reasons, a truly significant amount of releases were concentrated in the first quarter of 2022, rather outside of any standard logic on the organization of market launches. At the expense of this will be the wallets of the most hardened players, as well as the social life of the latter, who in the first months of next year will find themselves spending some time closed at home and in front of the screen.

Let's see why .

January 2022: start with a bang

Elden Ring is the absolute protagonist of the beginning of 2022 We cannot talk about February alone without framing the situation of the entire first quarter of 2022 well, which appears exceptional even when taken in its entirety. In January 2022, one of the most coveted games of these years is expected, said without fear of exaggeration: Elden Ring will arrive on January 21, ending a wait that has dominated at least the last two years for the gamer community. The new action RPG by From Software is obviously the heir of the Souls but it also comes with a remarkable innovative charge, being the first game of this type declined in the form of an open world by the Japanese team, plus with the support of a guy as random as George RR Martin to writing. This would be enough to fill a monthly lineup, but this is not the case, as just a week later another insured best seller is on the way.

Just seven days away, when everyone will still be immersed in the world of Elden Ring, Nintendo will place its 90's piece with Pokémon Legends: Arceus, set for January 28, 2021 on Nintendo Switch.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus will be an atomic bomb on the market in 2022 This is also one of those titles that can solve an entire quarter on its own, also considering how long fans will be able to continue playing it. Curiously, even in this case it is an unprecedented open world digression on the classic structure, which makes it a game that is very much awaited by a huge community, because it represents a first important innovation in a series that has always been very conservative.

It's not over here, because always within January 2021, but still without a precise date, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Extraction should also arrive. Although the exact date is not yet known, Ubisoft has postponed the game this month: even shooter enthusiasts will have their headline to buy at the beginning of the year.

February 2022: l 'traffic jam

Saints Row is a high-caliber reboot for the Volition series We come now to the month that is sparking the most curiosity, especially following the recent updates of Gamescom 2021: February 2022 and its release jam, at the moment all concentrated in the second half of the month. What made it rather surprising is that all of the release dates that surfaced for this period were announced in practically a couple of hours during the German (virtual) fair, which generated this overcrowding effect. Leading the charge will be The King of Fighters XV, the new fighting game of the historic SNK series that will arrive on the market on February 17, 2022: this is a somewhat niche game, but it cannot be said that it is a lesser title, considering the history that it carries with it and the importance it holds within its genre of reference.

The name of greatest caliber is expected to arrive the very next day: on February 18, 2022 it will be the turn of Horizon Forbidden West, one of the most anticipated games ever that was finally moved to 2022 amid general dismay (but not too much, considering that the move was widely expected).

The delay imposed on Horizon Forbidden West is heavy for the entire PS5 lineup This maneuver by Sony seems to leave PS5's end of 2021 completely uncovered, which will cross the autumn and Christmas period practically without any exclusive first party.

A few days later Sifu will also arrive, a minor title, but not at all superfluous, being one of the most prominent indies on PS5 and PC, coming from the authors of Absolver and out on February 22, 2021.

Destiny 2: The Queen of Whispers is also scheduled to arrive on the same day, the new maxi-expansion of Bungie's MMO that will surely keep the large community that gravitates around the title busy for quite a while. >
Sifu is an indie of not huge dimensions but that has been very pushed by Sony in its events To all this is added another production that would probably need a completely different living space, but which finds itself practically close to amidst the jam of releases: Saints Row, the new reboot of the series announced during Gamescom 2021. This is a general revision of the first chapter of the Volition open world action, entirely rebuilt from the point of view of graphics, but also of history and contents.

M arzo 2022: surprises and unknowns

Marvel's Midnight Suns brings Marvel superheroes into a turn-based strategic context Let's remember that we are still in August 2021, so many titles have to be announced and others will have a definite release only in the coming months, what which makes the already huge list of games targeting Q1 2022 absolutely not definitive. Many titles could therefore materialize again between January and March, given that the generic "Q1 2022" still characterizes a large number of projects still in full development, which could fuel this congestion of winter releases. Among the certainties of March there is one of the biggest surprises that emerged during Gamescom 2021, or Marvel's Midnight Sun, a new turn-based strategy developed by Firaxis that aims to stage something truly new: a strategic RPG on Marvel super-heroes. from the authors of XCOM, something that could be very interesting indeed. Another certainty of March is WWE 2K22, which should not suffer further postponements and remains a game particularly awaited by a specific community.

The other title with a certain release in March is Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, which will not be exactly the classic videogame blockbuster but is a game with a considerable thickness finally arriving on consoles as well.

Halo Infinite will be released on December 8th, but the fundamental Cooperative Campaign should arrive in the first quarter of 2022. Among the major games that point to the first quarter of 2022 is Tiny Tina's: Wonderlands, the new spin-off based on the world of Borderlands could easily place itself in March, considering the fact that nothing is known about it yet. In the same period, the cooperative campaign of Halo Infinite should also arrive, which for many players can have an importance comparable to the release of the game, set for December 8, considering how much the mode is expected by fans.

The list of indies currently planned in this period is also rich, including Salt and Sacrifice, Stray and Exomecha, in addition to the mysteries that hover for "early 2022" among which Ghostwire: Tokyo, among others, still remains. | manage in a relatively short period of time. All this, of course, without considering the possible delays that could change the calendar again: we are always in an emergency situation regarding the organization of work on products of this type, so it would not be surprising if various games currently planned for the first quarter of 2022, also resulting from previous postponements, were further postponed.

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