It’s fall, and that means it’s gaming’s most important time of the year
2023 is shaping up to be especially impressive for gamers
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. The time when the video game industry launches its biggest titles in anticipation of the holiday season. The games business lives and dies by fourth quarter sales, as consumers snatch up titles for their favorite people to unwrap.
And with video game revenue coming off of a down year in 2022 — revenue was off 5.2% compared to 2021 — the 2023 holiday season will be incredibly important for the games industry as it seeks to return to growth. Newzoo estimates a slight bump of 2.6% this year.
Luckily for game companies, 2023 is shaping up to be an especially impressive year, as publishers and developers ranging from Nintendo (NTDOY) and Sony (SONY) to Microsoft (MSFT), EA (EA), and more put out major games that are sure to leave human-sized dents in plenty of gamers’ couches.
I’ve been devouring a handful of games already, and am gearing up for a few more that have yet to hit the market. One of the year’s most influential hits so far has been Larian Studios' “Baldur’s Gate 3.” A fantasy game based on the “Dungeons & Dragons” universe, it’s annihilated my free time since it launched on Sept. 6.
Microsoft’s “Starfield,” which also launched Sept. 6, has similarly earned its share of attention. The title, developed by Bethesda, which Microsoft acquired for $7.5 billion in 2021, takes the studio’s well-trodden open-world formula to space.
Then there’s Nintendo’s “Super Mario Bros. Wonder,” which hits stores Oct. 20. The latest 2D “Mario” game, “Wonder” offers a variety of unique power-ups in addition to classics like the Fire Flower, including the ability to turn into an elephant.
Sony’s “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” also launches Oct. 20, and promises even more web-slinging action, as well as the opportunity to take your favorite web heads outside of Manhattan.
EA has debuted its “FC 24” soccer title, a rebranding of its “FIFA” series after the company and organization failed to reach an agreement on allowing the gamemaker to use the International Federation of Football Association name.
And then there’s Sega’s upcoming “Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name,” which brings all of the series’s yakuza brawling melodrama to consoles and PCs on Nov. 9.
Yes, it’s a magical season. Now if I could just find the time to actually play these games.
Daniel Howley is the tech editor at Yahoo Finance. He's been covering the tech industry since 2011. You can follow him on Twitter @DanielHowley.
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