If there was one theme of Gamescom’s 2021 Opening Night Live ceremony, it was this: There sure are a lot of games coming out in February 2022.
Many of those games, like Horizon Forbidden West, The King of Fighters XV, and Sifu, were all originally slated to release in 2021, only to be delayed due to various reasons, chief among them the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused developers to adapt their workflow to working from home.
Now, all those games and more will be released within days of one another. It’s becoming an increasingly crowded few weeks, so much so that companies looking to release their latest and greatest titles might want to try and steer clear of it, as publisher Annapurna Interactive humorously pointed out on Twitter.
note to self: don't schedule any releases for february 2022
— Annapurna Interactive (@A_i) August 25, 2021
Leading the charge is The King of Fighters XV on February 17, which will feature 39 fighters to choose from, including the triumphant return of fan-favorite characters long dead in the storied fighting game franchise.
Just one day later comes Horizon Forbidden West, releasing for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 on February 18, which will see heroine Aloy on a journey westward to stop a mysterious “red blight” that kills everything it touches.
Indie martial arts brawler Sifu, which has continued to turn heads but was recently delayed out of 2021, will now release February 22, 2022. It will share a release date with another heavy-hitting title in the form of Destiny 2’s upcoming expansion, The Witch Queen, which is poised to be one of the largest updates to Bungie’s shooter in years.
And, last but not least, February 25 will bring the return of the Saints Row franchise. This new reboot, simply titled Saints Row, looks to dial back some of the silliness the series became known for in more recent entries, while still offering the over-the-top, open-world action fans of the franchise have come to expect.
That’s a lot of games. Late January’s game lineup is nothing to scoff at either–both the highly anticipated Dark Souls follow-up Elden Ring and the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild-inspired Pokemon Legends: Arceus release within a week of one another. Add in Rainbow Six: Extraction, the co-op focused spin-off of Rainbow Six Siege set to release sometime in January, and the first two months of 2022 will have something for just about every type of player.
Assuming that none of the games mentioned above suffer additional delays, that is. It’s possible even more games could be delayed into early next year, too, which would make the all-you-can-eat video game buffet of early 2022 even busier. Time will tell what additional games may be released early next year, but one thing is certain: Players should start saving their pennies, and clearing their schedules, now.
Source: Gamespot
