Ubisoft
2014 was a year to forget for Ubisoft. While they had a few standout titles such as Far Cry 4 and Child of Light it is no secret that they put out some very underwhelming and even outright broken games this year.
Assassin’s Creed: Unity was a running gaming joke during the end of last year with its faceless monstrosities and other issues. Overshadowing Ubisoft’s successes in 2014. 2015 is going to be their chance to distance themselves from the dumpster fire that was the whole Unity debacle and get back on track.
2015 will be a make or break year for Ubisoft. They will either get their act together and return to respectability or they will continue to be the laughing stock of the industry. Either way, it will certainly be interesting to watch. You can check out everything going on at Ubisoft by visiting their official site.
Sony
Sony built on the impressive PS4 launch with another great year. Even without a huge onslaught of exclusive titles, Sony still managed to retain its sizable lead over the competition. 2014 couldn’t have gone any better but can they keep up that momentum in 2015?
2014 saw continued support from Sony for its entire gaming ecosystem. That includes not just their newest console, but the PS Vita and PCs as well. Exciting titles such as H1Z1 for PC and PlayStation 4 and the much awaited PS4 version of PlanetSide 2 are due out this year. Other huge titles like Bloodborne, Uncharted 4 and The Order: 1886 will help establish a strong exclusive gaming library.
Sony has a lot planned for the coming year, giving them many opportunities to shine and/or screw up horribly. They are bouncing off from one of the best starts to a new console launch ever. Sony has succumbed to hubris before, you only need look back at the PlayStation 3 to see that. Hopefully they stay humble and focused in 2015.
Blizzard
Blizzard has been on the up and up these past few years. World of Warcraft expansions, Hearthstone, and Diablo III: Reaper of Souls not only being released but also coming to consoles. Many who wanted to get into their games but couldn’t due to the fact that you needed a PC now can. Of course it wasn’t just the fact that these games were available on new platforms that made 2014 so great, they also happened to be some of the best games released for the year.
Just a couple of years ago many fans were upset at the state of Diablo III at launch and some of their other games were becoming a bit stagnant. But they managed to reinvigorate gaming with their new IP and excellent support of their older titles. They once again proved why Blizzard is such a respected name in the gaming industry.
In the past year they’ve gotten on stage to express their support for consoles and to even introduce new games in the work like Overwatch. They have the attention of many a fan already so now all that is left to do is to deliver and keep rising as they have. There is very little chance of them messing anything up so they are worth watching just to ensure that you have something positive for 2015. Keep watch at Blizzard Entertainment‘s official site.
Nintendo
Nintendo is that gaming company that is loved by nearly everyone but rarely seems to be brought up when discussing the big consoles. It may have been due to the Wii and how rarely people seem to think back to it. The Wii U had a slightly confusing launch in 2012 with many unsure of whether it was a peripheral or a new console. They still stuck in there and in 2014 they came out swinging.
It honestly seemed as if they could do no wrong last year, they put out hit after hit as they finally started releasing the games their fans had been waiting for. Mario Kart 8, Bayonetta 2, Hyrule Warriors, Super Smash Bros., Fantasy Life and so many others created an endless fountain of fun. There were a lot of naysayers who had already begun to count Nintendo out this generation but they managed to turn all of those opinions around.
To further ingrain into everyone’s mind the fact of their greatness they gave small glimpses into some of their future titles. Images of the upcoming Legend of Zelda game has mouths watering in anticipation, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Nintendo has finally found their flow for this latest generation of gaming and that makes them worth watching as they move towards domination once again. If you want to keep tabs on their progress check out their official site.
EA
For one of the first time in a very long time EA wasn’t the worst gaming company, or at least they weren’t viewed as such. They had quite a few snafus that were glazed over thanks to someone else making royal mistakes. Even with their fumbles they managed to end the year with a bang by releasing Dragon Age: Inquisition which received more than its fair share of GOTY awards. But, the fact that they managed to release a award winning game isn’t exactly why they should be on your radar in 2015.
For those not in the know EA managed to grab the licensing to Star Wars games. You may also have heard that the first new Star Wars movie is slated for the end of this year. It is no secret that there is a crowd of rabid fans desperately awaiting the next Star Wars Battlefront game and taking the helm is DICE. It’s pretty common knowledge that their last foray into a game containing battle in the title was sort of a mess.
They have the opportunity to release some of the biggest games of the year with one of the largest fanbases. With the pedigree behind the upcoming titles all should be well but let yourself not forget what EA has done in the past with their big franchises. They are a gaming company to watch to see if they do these new franchises justice or if they fall into their old practices. Check out the Electronic Arts website to keep an eye out on this company.
Valve
Many of you are probably wondering why Valve is on this list. They are one of those few gaming companies that is held so high even with minimal input from them. They have managed to keep their lips completely sealed about whether or not they are working on new installments for some of their revered franchises. They’ve pretty much been in the cruising lane for the past few years.
But, maybe this will be the year when they finally learn to do something everyone says they are completely incapable of: counting to three. Valve will set records if they allow people to pre-order a sequel to just one of their many franchises. Just a whisper of a possible Half-Life 3 will take over headlines of every single gaming media outlet in existence. Unfortunately Valve is almost impossible to read so there is no telling if and/or when they would finally let some information out.
One other thing that seemed to slip from everyone’s mind in 2014 was the Steam Machine. There should be some news rolling out soon (we hope)
2015 is as good a year as any to finally unveil some amazing product. Even if it’s just for a slight chance of a rumor, Valve is definitely one to watch. For more information on Valve be sure to check out their official site.
Microsoft
Looking back one year from today it easy to be surprised by where the Xbox currently stands in the world of console gaming. At launch it did nowhere near as good as expected. They stumbled out of the gates and had to deal with hard competition from the PlayStation 4 and the Wii U finally finding its own footing. But even with the walls closing in on them a few executive decisions and some much needed advertising helped to turn the struggling ship around.
The Xbox is now poised to have an excellent year if they can keep up their momentum, but is their momentum real? It took a lot of work but after many free games and 2 price cuts (though one was temporary) but they have finally positioned themselves as a truly competitive console. Their first huge exclusive, Sunset Overdrive, did well and put them on the right path.
The question is, can they continue? Many are already wondering if they will be able to raise the price back to what it was and still maintain their momentum. One thing that’s for sure is they have a pretty solid lineup for the year with games such as Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Halo 5: Guardians. Coming off of the best season of sales they’ve had thus far they are definitely ones to watch this year. Check out their official site to keep up with all the going-ons this year.
Are there any gaming companies that you feel people should keep an eye out for? If so why? Are they going to shine or fall? Feel free to share.
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