The E3 cancellation back in January killed the hype, but it came back strong this month with the Summer Game Fest announcement and PAX East.
Video Game Industry News for April 2022
- After being cancelled in 2021 due to the pandemic, PAX East returned to Boston (WCVB.com).
- Despite masks and no AAA titles, PAX East powered through the pandemic (TheGamer.com).
- The lack of AAA titles meant that indie titles stole the spotlight (CNET.com).
- Summer Game Fest kickoff show announced for June. In the wake of E3 2022 cancellation, Geoff Keighley will be bringing back his Summer Game Fest whose kickoff show includes trailers and announcements for many games that end up on the Game Awards. (GamingBolt.com)
- Microsoft announced Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase for June 12. Despite E3 cancellation, Microsoft moves forward with its Xbox & Bathesda showcase promising news on Starfield. (Polygon.com)
- THQ Nordic announced showcase for August 12th. The SpongeBob game publisher is promising trailers for upcoming titles including SpongeBob SquarePants: The Comsic Shake, Outcast 2, and a new Saints Row. (GameRant.com).
- Sony and Lego invested $2 Billion in Epic games. Sony and Kirkbi (the parent company of Lego) provided $1 Billion each to Epic games to create a kid-friendly metaverse. (TechCrunch.com)
- China to ban livestreams of unapproved videogames. As of August 2021, China is the largest market for video games (Statista.com). Chinese regulations required that all video game publications be approved by the government. As a part of new regulations limiting gaming by minors, China will ban livestreams of videogames that have not yet been approved for publication. (PCGamer.com)
Major Video Game Announcements and Releases for April 2022
- Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. The Lego game was met with positive reviews, with critics praising its humor, its gameplay, and its faithfulness to the Star Wars franchise. (StarWars.com)