2021: AAA Gaming’s Weirdest Year?

2021 is shaping up to be another weird year for gaming, with the release calendar looking sparse, and events up in the air. Is gaming finally feeling the full knock-on effect of 2020? Lucy, Jordan, and Tamoor discuss.

You've probably felt it: things are a bit out of whack in the video game industry. The past year has been difficult for a variety of reasons and it seems like the knock-on effects of working from home, as well as the challenges that presents to game development and hosting traditional events, is becoming more and more apparent.

What's most evident is that the traditional release cycle, in terms of the rhythm of new games being launched, is off. At the same time, events that had been permanently marked on our calendars for years now are either being penciled in or rubbed out entirely. 2021 feels like it's becoming a weird year for video games and those of us that enjoy them. 

That is the subject of discussion this week's episode of Console Crew, in which Lucy, Jordan, and Tamoor look at how the industry has changed, what the future holds, and also what we can look forward to for the rest of the year. Naturally, there's a discussion about games that have been delayed as a result of recent challenges, and the same goes for events like E3. 

There's also a discussion about the opportunities that this strange new cadence of releases provides us. As noted in the episode, indie games are more abundant and more interesting than ever, and with fewer major blockbusters from mega-publishers eating up the oxygen in the discussion of games, there's more opportunity for them to shine.

Console Crew is your weekly Friday roundup of the biggest news from PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo, hosted by Lucy James, Tamoor Hussain, and Jordan Ramée. Subscribe to youtube.com/GameSpot​ to never miss an episode.