
After an extended and busy 12 months, 2024 is formally within the books. Gamers maintain just a few weeks to relaxation earlier than the online game launch calendar picks up in February with a barrage of main releases. That is a downside for subsequent month, although. Till then, we have nonetheless bought a while to mirror on what was a rollercoaster 12 months for the gaming trade, filled with shock hits, whole flops, and shocking no exhibits.
At the middle of all that was the three pillars of mainstream gaming: Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. Whereas their energy could also be waning within the age of moveable PCs just like the Steam Deck, these platform holders are nonetheless the watercooler dialog starters whose each poke generates buzz. This 12 months, all three corporations discovered themselves in a outlandish spot. PlayStation 5 and Xbox Sequence X hit the awkward midpoint of their lifespans, whereas the Nintendo Change was left to tread water after its a lot anticipated successor was pushed out of 2024. All three would maintain to accumulate inventive in the event that they had been going to finish the 12 months robust.