Gaming Industry - Did 2021 make any Sense?

GamesIndustry.biz and Destructoid look back at the events in the gaming industry last year. Pick your preferred format.

2021: The Year of Living Ridiculously | This Year in Business

From GameStop's rally to Wolf Enhanced Pants NFTs, this year was the poorly considered gag gift that kept on giving

It's been a bad year for fans of things that make sense, in the world at large and in games specifically.

Granted, every year in this industry is rife with absurdity, but gaming really outdid itself in 2021.

Meme stocks.

Blockchain.

The Metaverse.

Bobby Kotick still having a job.

You know how some people saw The Matrix too many times and are now convinced we're all living in an incredibly complex simulation rather than any kind of real world? I thought about that a lot this year, because so much of what's happened has felt like one of Jon Bois' old Breaking Madden videos where the simulation is pushed to extremes and Weird Stuff begins to happen.

Like, for real, Sony released a game on Xbox in 2021. The most hotly anticipated new systems are dedicated handhelds: SteamDeck, Analogue Pocket, and Playdate. (That's right PSVR 2, I said it.) Square Enix had to pull Final Fantasy 14 from sale because it was too popular.

Nothing makes sense any more! [...]

The biggest gaming stories of 2021

From Activision Blizzard to NFTs, it’s been a long year

The year 2021 is finally coming to a close, and it sure has been a long one. It marked the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic. For the gaming industry first full year of next-gen consoles, and another year of online events and showcases—at least, for most of the year.

There were cloudy spots and rays of sunshine amongst the headlines. Amid all of it, this has certainly been a time for reflection and examination. As shortages and a shift to remote work put pressure on both the software and hardware sides of the industry, everything was in flux. Yet still, there were a few heartwarming tales that, even if they didn’t rock the world, did keep us moving forward.

With all that in mind, here are some of the biggest gaming stories that dominated the headlines in 2021. [...]