As the opening days of 2021 drift past us and we look over the horizon, much is still unclear when it comes to the industry’s state. A surprise announcement could be right around the corner, and it’s just a matter of time.
One of the best things about this industry is waking up in the morning and seeing that a trailer has dropped for a game we’ve been waiting to see for a long time.
Developers and the industry as a whole are full of surprises, and we have high hopes for 2021. There’s a lot we want to see, but we complied the biggest wishes onto this list.
These are the surprise announcements we want to see in 2021.
Star Fox Revival
Since its release in 2017, numerous Nintendo franchises have made their way onto the Switch. Many of these franchises like The Legend of Zelda, Mario, Fire Emblem, and Animal Crossing have gained record numbered sales.
While these series celebrate their popularity, some franchises are missing from Nintendo’s powerhouse console. One of those franchises is Star Fox.
Star Fox, while incredibly popular, hasn’t sold all that well. At least not in comparison to other Nintendo IPs. The series sales have steadily declined since the series peaked in 1997 with Star Fox 64.
The latest game in the series, Star Fox Zero, sold less than half a million copies. According to Daniel Ahmad, an industry analyst, the game wasn’t profitable for Nintendo at all.
The thing with Star Fox games is that the series hasn’t progressed much, especially story-wise. The first game’s story has essentially been retold twice with Star Fox 64 and Star Fox Zero.
In spite of all these challenges, though, a new game would come as a major shock and would be welcomed by many.
Metal Gear Solid Remake by Bluepoint Games
Metal Gear’s future is very much up in the air after Hideo Kojima (the father of Meal Gear) left Konami and started his development studio, Kojima Productions.
Konami hasn’t been vocal lately with what they plan to do with the future of their IPs like Metal Gear, Silent Hill, and Castlevania, despite them all being and financial successes.
There is a Metal Gear Solid film coming, though, so it would be strange to let the momentum from that movie lead to nothing. A new game in the series might be a big ask, but a remake of the first game made by Bluepoint Games is more realistic.
Bluepoint is known for doing video game remasters and remakes such as The Uncharted Collection, Shadow of the Colossus for PS4, and Demon’s Souls.
They even did the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection for PS3 & Xbox 360. The team is intimately familiar with the series, and the recent Demon’s Souls remake proves that they can make go beyond basic expectations.
Perhaps the most significant point of contention would be how the game plays when it comes to perspective. The original game used fixed camera angles, while the newer games used the third-person, over-the-shoulder perspective.
Having the option to play the game both ways could be a big win for this game that would appease old fans while attracting new ones.
And bring back David Hayter to voice Solid Snake!
Banjo-Kazooie Makes a Comeback
If you talk to anyone who is a fan of 3D platformers, they’ll probably mention Banjo-Kazooie. Both games in the main series are iconic Nintendo 64 titles and looked to be another mascot character that Nintendo could add under their belt. But everything changed when Microsoft bought Rare in 2002.
A new Banjo-Kazooie did come out after this acquisition, but Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts diverges greatly from the first two games and has always been divisive among fans.
It’s not a reach to say that Rare is sitting on their hands when it comes to Banjo-Kazooie. We’ve been saying that we believe Microsoft should do more with the series for years, and now is a better time than ever.
The characters’ popularity certainly hasn’t gone anywhere since Banjo-Kazooie got announced for Super Smash Bros, and the series even got some Yootooze figures, showing there is still a lot of interest in Banjo. We just want our loveable bear and bird back in a 3D platformer.
Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2 Releases This Year
Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2 releasing this year really would be a huge surprise announcement considering we have no idea how far along in development it is and we haven’t seen a teaser yet.
It’s not out of the realm of possibility, though, that we could see something from it this year.
Without getting into spoilers, the ending of Final Fantasy VII Remake ended on a cliffhanger with the ending leading to a lot of debate and speculation, more than you would think for a remake.
Square Enix needs to surprise us by not taking a decade to make this game as they did with Kingdom Hearts 3 and Final Fantasy XV and keeping the momentum going.
No Metroid Prime 4 This Year, But a Metroid Prime Trilogy Instead
Everyone is always theorizing when Metroid Prime 4 will come out since the game was teased back in 2017. While some think it might come sooner and some think we may never get it ever, there is still a big problem in the series.
The last game in the series came out in 2007, fourteen years ago. The first three games were released in a collection two years later, but that’s still quite in the past now.
If you haven’t played the original games, or you don’t remember what happened since it’s been such a long time since you’ve had a copy available to play, playing this new entry might be confusing.
It would just be the wrong move to put the fourth game out in the world when it’s been such a long time since anything Metroid Prime has been in the hands of players.
Releasing a trilogy compilation a year or two before the new game would give people plenty of time to sink their teeth in and get a better understanding of Metroid Prime’s history.
The Sims 5 Releases With All Sims 4 Expansions
Since The Sims is continuously getting updates, expansions, and all sorts of new content, it’s hard to imagine that the most recent game was released seven years ago. That’s right. The Sims 4 released back in 2014.
While there are still tons of people playing The Sims 4, we think it’s time for a new game in the series. Perhaps one of the biggest wishes for this game is that all of the DLC packs just be integrated into the base games. While they are lofty and add a lot to the game, paying for all of them will burn a massive hole in your pocket.
It is unlikely, but what would warrant a new game in the series is slapping all these expansions together, updating the graphics and engine, and making it the Sims 5.
The Sims is a massive franchise for EA, so we could see them pushing a new Sims game out sometime soon. Seven years since the last release is enough time for development to start on The Sims 5.
Grand Theft Auto VI is Revealed With A Female Protagonist
When you have one of the best-selling video games of all-time, you bet the stakes are high for the next game in the franchise. Grand Theft Auto VI would be one of, if not the most significant announcement of the year, to say the least.
Grand Theft Auto games’ setting is undoubtedly a big part of the games, who players play as is also important. Something the series has never seen is a female protagonist, and it feels like it’s about that time for Rockstar to explore the GTA universe from a perspective we’ve never seen.
A Reveal for Persona 6
It’s hard to believe it has been nearly five years since Persona 5 first released, but yeah, it’s kind of been a while.
The series has certainly grown in popularity since then. Joker appeared in Super Smash Bros Ultimate, it received an enhanced edition via Persona 5 Royal, and even a few spin-off games like Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight & Persona 5 Strikers.
Development for Persona 5 started right after Persona 4 released, taking nearly ten years. Development didn’t get into full swing until Atlus’ other game, Catherine, was released so that Persona 5 could use Catherine’s new engine.
So while Persona 6 may still be in early development, we could see a little something that excites fans. Kazuhisa Wada, the producer of Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal, has teased an announcement for Persona’s 25 anniversary, though, which is this year. We’ll have to wait and see if it’s Persona 6.
About the author
