10 Biggest Video Game Controversies of 2022

| December 17, 2021 |

| Comments count:0

Video Game Controversies 2021 — *Photo: Rockstar Games, Xbox Game Studios, Amazon, Nintendo*

While we're looking frontwards to celebrating the very best games of 2021 in the near hereafter, information technology's tough to paint an authentic picture of this year without besides spending a niggling time talking most some of 2021's biggest controversies.

I wouldn't go so far equally to say that this has been an especially noteworthy year for video game controversies compared to previous years, but there is no denying that some of the yr's biggest stories were controversial in one fashion or another. Given the context of some of those controversies and the way they remind us that there is a lot of work left to do to make the video game industry a ameliorate place, it would be harmful to ignore some of them as we wrap upwardly this year.

That being the example, hither'due south a look at some of the controversies that may not show the gaming industry or gamers at their best but are certainly necessary for ameliorate agreement the state of gaming heading into 2022.

Activision Blizzard's History of Employee Discrimination and Abuse

While this list of controversies is in no particular order (this isn't a prize), it's hard to deny that the biggest video game-related controversy of 2021 was the annunciation that Activision Blizzard is being sued past the state of California following the land'southward extensive investigation into the company's history of employee harassment and discrimination.

The numerous revelations that followed the public reveal of that investigation could hands fill up the rest of this article (the "Cosby Suite," Activision Blizzard's anti-matrimony efforts, every single thing nigh Bobby Kotick, etc.), but it's also worth noting that this controversy extends to the ethics of ownership, promoting, and playing Activision Blizzard'due south games. There'south likewise a worthwhile debate happening at the moment about how to best talk about the history of Activision Blizzard's games now that we know nearly the conditions many of them were developed nether and how their success may have helped fuel the visitor's culture of abuse.

While I sincerely hope that this investigation and the movements information technology has already inspired will help ensure that more major game studios start treating their employees similar man beings, the deplorable fact of the matter is that the number of similar controversies we've seen in recent years strongly suggest that there is a long way to go earlier the systemic problems that plague this industry are a matter of the past.

GTA Definitive Edition is the Twelvemonth's Laziest and About Broken Major Release

It's honestly still incredible to think that the GTA Definitive Edition remasters were anything less than 1 of 2021's biggest surefire hits. After all, how difficult tin can it be to update three of the best games ever made?

We may never get the full story nigh what went wrong with those remasters, but betwixt their many glitches, terrible blueprint decisions, missing features, and Rockstar'southward initial decision to remove the original GTA Trilogy titles from digital marketplaces and replace them with those remasters, it's condom to say that there is plenty of blame to go around.

It'southward squeamish to see that the GTA remasters are nevertheless being updated and fixed, just it's safe to say that this was the yr's most botched major release.

Pretty Much Everything Near Amazon's New Earth

Between concerns over its colonialism themes and the fact that it's a game published and developed by Amazon, New Globe has been a lightning rod of controversy since..well, the moment the MMO was announced.

In some ways, it was inevitable that New World 's eventual release would only fuel those fires. This is just one of those games that inspires half of the people who play it to devote hundreds of hours to it and half of the people who play information technology to run abroad screaming and never look back.

Of course, it doesn't assistance that those who chose to stick with New Earth are now arguing most the game's economy issues, lack of updates, and various technical problems.

Ongoing Hardware Shortages Brand the PS5 and Xbox Series 10 Hard to Find

While many people knew that global supply shortages and complications caused past the Covid-19 pandemic were going to make it difficult to detect a PS5 or Xbox Series 10/South at launch, there was some hope that those who wanted a next-gen console would be able to buy one with relative ease in 2021.

However, as manufacturers everywhere warn us that those hardware shortages will continue into 2022, we're starting to run into more and more gamers debate about whether or not enough is being done to get adjacent-gen consoles on to shelves and ensure that those who tin't purchase a next-gen console won't be left behind by the inevitable release of more and more true next-gen exclusives.

While many seem to acknowledge that console manufacturers can but do so much nigh certain supply shortages, the ascent of online scalpers using bots to buy next-gen consoles in bulk and controversial policies regarding next-gen update fees for certain games have left some arguing that there is a meliorate way through this catamenia that is currently non being explored.

Developers Get That Annoying Dudebro at the Party past Refusing to Stop Talking About NFTs

While many people causeless that publishers and developers would somewhen notice a way to explore NFTs, Cryptocurrency, Blockchains, and all the other shady financial schemes that one person at Thanksgiving wouldn't close upwards about, recent months have seen more and more studios openly comprehend those concepts and gleefully talk about how they can't await to starting time incorporating them into their games.

In most cases, those efforts are either shameful ways to convince (or, if you prefer, "scam") confused investors those studios are totally ready to be the leaders in any Joe Rogan just talked about or they're a fashion to add more microtransactions to games under a different name. In short, it seems that nearly developers have no idea what the hereafter of Blockchain gaming looks like, or they do take an idea of what it looks like and that idea sucks.

Thankfully, it seems many people are openly rebelling against those early efforts. Southward.T.A.50.K.Eastward.R. ii: Heart of Chernobyl developer GSC Game World recently announced that they have decided to remove NFTs from their upcoming game, and Ubisoft was forced to delist a YouTube video almost Quartz (the company'south upcoming NFT system) following an most universally negative reaction to the proposed program.

Nintendo Switch'due south Expansion Pass Disappoints Retro Gamers

I've previously covered this topic in greater depth elsewhere, merely the gist of this story is that Nintendo'south recently released "Expansion Pass" program for Switch Online has been criticized by many over the price of the new premium subscription tier, its limited offering of retro games, and the quality of the emulated titles included in the bundle.

What'southward fascinating well-nigh this particular controversy are the opinions of a vocal grouping of hardcore Nintendo fans who have seemingly embraced a "exist happy with what nosotros get" kind of mentality. While it seems like there are relatively few people who believe that Expansion Pass is the absolute all-time that Nintendo can do when it comes to offering easy access to high-quality versions of their legendary library of retro games, at that place does seem to be this increasingly pop belief that anything that is better than null in that department might just take to be skilful enough.

It's going to be interesting to encounter if Nintendo e'er decides to make it a little easier (and peradventure a piddling cheaper) to but buy and play the retro games we love without having to wait for a subscription service update or remaster/remake.

Returnal Becomes This Year's "Video Game Difficulty" Lighting Rod

I can't remember the terminal yr when there wasn't at least ane game that got people talking nearly video game difficulty and whether more than modern titles should offering what is regularly referred to as an "Like shooting fish in a barrel Way." Well, Returnal was "that game" for 2021.

What'due south really interesting about Returnal , though, is that this particular debate was less near the game's overall difficulty and more about whether or not the initial inability to suspend your run made the game unnecessarily difficult and frustrating. The argument was more than nigh accessibility, but that thought kind of got swallowed past the hot button "Piece of cake Mode" thought that such conversations are oftentimes reduced to one time they get broad.

While Returnal developer Housemarquee later added a "suspend" feature to Returnal via an update, it's probably safe to bet that at that place will exist at least one game in 2022 that reignites the argument about the accessibility of video game difficulty.

Halo Infinite's Battle Pass is (Surprisingly) The About Controversial Part of the Game

When Microsoft appear that they decided to delay Halo Space 'south release to 2021, many fans assumed that the game's troubled evolution had finally caught upwards with information technology and that information technology would end up being one of the biggest disappointments of whatever year information technology was eventually released in. Instead, the most controversial thing virtually Halo Infinite turned out to exist its Boxing Pass.

The initial version of Halo Infinite 'southward Battle Pass but rewarded players with XP for completing a very limited choice of challenges. Many fans defendant Microsoft and programmer 343 Industries of intentionally making the XP system slow then that players would be more likely to spend money to unlock cosmetic items instead. While 343 has updated the game's Battle Laissez passer to make it a little easier to acquire XP through the normal grade of play, some fans still feel that it's not where it needs to exist. The Halo Infinite subreddit was even shut downward presently after the launch of the game's multiplayer mode due to the neverending discourse about the Battle Pass.

We promise that 343 eventually gets the game'due south Battles Laissez passer in a better place, simply at to the lowest degree the rest of the game turned out to be quite proficient.

Nintendo Switch OLED Wasn't the Switch Pro Nosotros Were Waiting For

Information technology feels like people have been talking about a 4K Nintendo Switch "Pro" since the release of the Nintendo Switch, and all signs pointed to Nintendo finally revealing and releasing that hardware upgrade in 2021. Instead, nosotros got the Nintendo Switch OLED.

Latest Game reviews

In a mode, this controversy is less about the quality of the Switch OLED and is more about Nintendo'south determination to release a pretty marginal hardware upgrade in the midst of a global supply shortage. Simply put, there'south a contend over whether or not the Switch OLED offers plenty for its cost as well as a debate over whether or non information technology's a mode for Nintendo to "trick" consumers into buying what they may think is a much more substantial hardware upgrade.

Gien that the Switch OLED seems to have been a sales success, though, I doubt Nintendo is besides worried about how this controversy will impact the Switch brand or any plans they have for futurity hardware upgrades.

Numerous Gamesouth Are Delayed to 2022 and Across

Much like the hardware shortages we previously talked about, there's a degree to which many gamers went into 2021 expecting some of the twelvemonth'due south biggest games to exist delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and other factors.

However, information technology sometimes felt like every 2021 game delay (and there were certainly a few) was met with a piffling more venom. While there are certainly many who believe it's ameliorate to delay a game rather than force its developers to piece of work through a crunch schedule or release that game before it's ready, the reactions to some of the twelvemonth's biggest delays really show why more than and more publishers fearfulness upsetting fans past telling them that they're going to accept to wait longer for their nearly anticipated games. In some ways, you could consider the radio silence about the release date of major upcoming titles like GTA half-dozen and The Elderberry Scrolls 6 to exist function of this argue.

While I know nobody wants to hear this now, this is almost certainly i of those debates that will deport on into 2022 as more major delays volition likely be appear in the months to come up.