The game awards just wrapped, and I’m left with one question, is 2024 really that empty of major video game releases? Did every video game company blow their load in 2023 as though they thought GTA 6 would land somewhere in 2024? Or are these studios holding future release dates and announcements closer to the actual release? Ok maybe that’s a few questions but they’re all tightly related to the potential dry spell we might be up against.

Don’t get me wrong I will be excited about Monster Hunter: Wilds when we are closer to its release date somewhere in 2025, but aside from that what was even actually announced? 

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II which will finally release next year for the Xbox series consoles, is a game that I’m sure will be epic, but it is a very niche title for a very niche audience. Hellblade II is far from a system seller, or even a Game Pass pusher for the Xbox. I wasn’t expecting Fable… but I mean… could we have at least gotten Fable?

Sony seems equally as lacking in 2024 so far. The free DLC for God of War: Ragnarök while cool, seems far lighter in content than the Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales style stand-alone expansion people expected when word of more God of War content leaked.  Sure, it could still be that level of quality and maybe scale…but if it was would Sony really make it free?

I am however pumped for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. But at 7 million sales as of September for Final Fantasy VII Remake it falls within a relatively small niche, one that you’d imagine is made up mostly of pre-existing Final Fantasy fans. A sequel that is a direct continuation of FF7 Remake will surely hit diminishing returns unless it somehow breaks into a more mainstream audience, which is hard to imagine as FF7 Remake was highly praised and critically adored and still fell short of Sony’s heavier hitters. Regardless we all knew it was coming out already, and honestly, January and February’s releases feel more like a continuation of 2023 to me, a list of titles that thought better of joining in on the madness that is 2023’s calendar of releases to find their own little nook just outside of it. Bring on Tekken 8, Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth, Persona 3 Reload, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

2024 may very well be the year of the backlog for most of us, at least after February has come and gone, and honestly, I’m all for it. 2023 has left me with a lot to catch up on and going by the Game Awards, I may actually have enough time to do it.