2015 was a pretty big year for game releases and 2016 looks set to blow this year out the water. However, with massive AAA titles like Uncharted 4, Gears of War 4, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Tom Clancy’s The Division and Quantum Break all due out next year, it’s possible that some equally great-looking games could be overlooked.
Whether it’s due to a lack of marketing focus on these games in favor of another title, or simply releasing right next to one of the titan titles of 2016, it’s understandable that you may have forgotten about these games. So, let’s take a look at the seven games you may have forgotten were coming out next year.
Ratchet and Clank
Last week, Naughty Dog announced that its upcoming Uncharted game that would round off the series would be delayed until April next year from its expected March release. Unfortunately for Ratchet and Clank, this now means that it’ll be going head to head with one of next years most anticipated titles.
While the game based on the movie based on the game is certainly raising the eyebrows of fans of the series, whether it will be enough to drag the masses away from one of PlayStation 4’s killer exclusives of 2016 is yet to be seen. It’s fair to say that a majority of PlayStation’s marketing budget for April is going to be focused on Uncharted 4, so it’s understandable that Ratchet and Clank may be easily forgotten and have to rely on the publicity from the film to help boost its sales.
South Park: The Fractured But Whole
South Park: The Stick of Truth was a brilliant game that nobody really expected it to be as good as it was. It had all the crude toilet humor of the TV show, excellent visuals, and enjoyable gameplay mechanics that fans of the show and critics alike lapped up. So when Ubisoft announced back at E3 that we would see more of our party-mouthed kids from South Park, we lost our minds.
Fast forward six months and it’s easy to forget that South Park: The Fractured But Whole is due out sometime in 2016. While there is no confirmed release date, we wouldn’t be surprised to see it release around the end of the Summer months. But, with The Stick of Truth not receiving much of a PR buzz prior to its release, will we see a repeat with the sequel? Let’s hope not.
XCOM 2
XCOM 2 was announced to much hype and excitement earlier this year. The turn-based strategy series has a pretty loyal fanbase and the PR for the game really helped it prior to its release. Set 20 years after the events of XCOM: Enemy Unknown, XCOM 2 promises to bring back more of the tactical turn-based gameplay focused on planning out your moves far in advance and protecting your characters like their lives depend on it. Probably because they really do.
Despite the hype around the game when it was first announced, XCOM 2 is mere months away from being released and there isn’t all that much hype around the game. And with the game releasing only on PC, those players fortunate enough to own a PC and a console as well may forget about the strategy game in favor of Far Cry Primal, Street Fighter V or Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2.
Hitman
Hitman currently sits in a rather odd position. Its release date is mere days after Tom Clancy’s The Division, and with the amount of marketing power that Ubisoft are throwing behind its cooperative tactical shooter, Hitman could have a battle on its hands.
Agent 47’s next outing has once again not been talked about all that much. Yes, the E3 trailer looked all pretty and had us excited for assassinating our next list of targets but it’s not something we’d consider to be on the same scale as the likes of The Division. With the two games launching within the space of a couple of days, aiming for a similar, mature audience and being full priced games, it’s fair to say that many people’s attention will be focused on Ubisoft’s title.
Overwatch
There’s a trend that’s forming in the video games industry recently. MOBAs are sprouting out from the ground on both console and PC and diluting the formerly small genre’s player base. Now, as MOBAs try and take a slice of the console market, it’s intriguing to see Blizzard also take an unusual outing onto consoles. With the likes of Battleborn and Smite also on console, it’s possible that the MOBA genre is already being diluted in a player base that is relatively unknown to it.
Blizzard certainly has the money and marketing power to put behind their title, but with the announcement that Overwatch would come to consoles being made at Blizzcon 2015 means that the news may not be all that well known. It’s also yet to be seen if Overwatch clashes with Battleborn during the Spring months and leaves potential MOBA players with a tough decision between the two. Let’s hope that Blizzard’s MOBA finds a loyal community on consoles as well as PC.
The Walking Dead: Michonne
Telltale’s upcoming mini-series of three episodes is going to focus on the machete-wielding badass, Michonne. Releasing in Feb. 2016, the mini-series will explore the story of Michonne and what took her away from Rick, Ezekiel, and the rest of the group and then also what led to her return to them.
For fans of Telltale’s Walking Dead game series, this one’s definitely one to watch, but with the likes of Far Cry Primal also releasing around the same time, its quite possible that this could be forgotten by a large majority of people. Let’s hope that Telltale deliver on the mini-series and people don’t forget to uncover Michonne’s mysterious story.
The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine
With so many great new games coming out in 2016, its understandable that you may forget about the additional expansions to games that released in 2015. The biggest example of this is The Witcher 3’s Blood and Wine. With a massive new section of the map to explore, another engaging story like Hearts of Stone had, and plenty more beasts to slay, Blood and Wine promises to wrap up the fantastic story of Geralt.
However, with it only having a release window of the first half of 2016, it’d have a lot of competition for your attention. Let’s hope it finds the right window to ensure it receives the attention it deserves.
Did you forget about any of the games on our list? Will you be picking any of these up? Let us know in the comments below.
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