February 22nd 2019 Is Going To Be A Killer Day For Games

As an incredibly sad, fat little child, my weekends would be spent skulking around game stores and hoping to find a new game to play and typically coming up empty. The gaming release schedule used to be somewhat arid with the “big” games rarely dropping at once or even that close to each other, meaning my younger self would just stare at Shellshock: Nam ’67 and hope that an adult would buy it for me. They did, and I was scarred for life.

That’s just not the case anymore (the release window, not my emotional scarring; I’m a chubby mess). Even in the quieter months of the year, huge games come out seemingly each week — January and February used to be sparse periods for new games but they’re arguably now some of the biggest. This January alone saw Monster Hunter: World, Dragon Ball FighterZ and Dissidia Final Fantasy NT all release close to each other with Resident Evil 7 releasing during the same month in 2017.

Next year is going to keep up the trend of gigantic titles making an early mark with one date in particular promising to deliver in a big and almost daunting way. If you remember when Super Mario Odyssey, Wolfenstein II, and AC Origins all landed on the same day, you can expect some even tougher choices next year.

Here are the games you can expect on what is bound to be a hallowed day for games, including their chances of success in the sales charts.

 

Anthem

Anthem

Developer: BioWare
Publisher: EA
Platform(s): PC, PS4, XB1
Release date: Feb 22nd, 2019

Whether you like it or not, Anthem is probably going to win the whole month of February. Time and time again, it’s been shown that no matter how controversial a game’s publisher is, it’s still going to blow up the sales charts with just enough hype behind it. For instance, Activision are, quite frankly, terrible, but Call of Duty goes straight to the top of the charts with each incrementally different form of annual online griefing.

Early signs for Anthem are promising, though it’s impossible to separate it from the furore surrounding EA, just like it’s impossible to separate the company from its recent controversies. Fans of Destiny and The Division will likely lap up Anthem all the same, which means that it’s almost definitely going to rampage to the top of the sales charts above any other game in February.

Chances of success: a multi-platform game that has a marketing budget higher than the economy of Eritrea behind it? What do you think? Will probably debut very strongly but pretty dramatically wilt away after a couple of weeks.

 

Days Gone

Days Gone wallpaper

Developer: SIE Bend
Publisher: SIE
Platform: PS4
Release date: Feb 22nd, 2019

It could be argued that Sony and Bend have taken far too long to shoot their shot with Days Gone since its emphatic debut at E3 2016. Progress on the project has been slow and painful, leading to it being booted out of the 2018 release window and into 2019’s. At this point in time, however, what we’ve seen so far of Days Gone has been rough but very promising. And it’s single-player, which is always nice.

A post-apocalyptic open-world shooter, Days Gone pits you against the zombie-like Freakers and murderous gangs as you drive around on a motorcycle on the open road. On that pitch alone, Days Gone should shoot to the top of the sales charts, but as it’s coming up against a multi-platform monolith and is only available on the one system as a PS4 exclusive, expect it to be nudged into second place.

Chances of success: strong. Will not beat out Anthem, but depending on its reception from press and fans, could go on to be far more memorable and a consistent earner in sales, much like Horizon.

 

Metro Exodus

Developer: 4A Games
Publisher: Deep Silver
Platform(s): PC, PS4, XB1
Release date: Feb 22nd, 2019

Not enough people are admiring the set of balls on 4A Games and Deep Silver for releasing the next entry in their cult favourite franchise on the same day as some of the biggest games of next year. Will it be a decision that backfires on them, however? Judging by the reception from what’s been shown of the game so far, it should do just fine.

The most ambitious entry into the Metro series to date will up the scale by double on Last Light and 2033 with twice the amount of content, as well as more dialogue than both of those games combined. It’s been in the incubator for five years, so maybe Exodus will finally bring Metro out of the darkness and into the limelight that it deserves, though it may struggle to reach the top spot.

Chances of success: fair. Won’t dominate any sales charts, but word of mouth may help it to become a cult classic just like its predecessors.

 

Crackdown 3

Crackdown 3

Developer: Sumo Digital
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Platform(s): XB1, PC (Play Anywhere)
Release date: February 22nd, 2019

A game so troubled that it’s almost boring to mention it at this point, Crackdown 3 has been in the offing for the longest time and will finally be in the hands of Xbox fans early next year — that is, of course, if it avoids another delay. Hopefully all of the setbacks it has faced over the years will have made it a far better game than the one shown at E3 2017 and an Xbox One exclusive that everyone agrees on.

Curiously, its February 22nd release date hasn’t been officially confirmed on the Xbox website, but it was “leaked” by the official ANZ (Australia and New Zealand) Xbox Facebook page in a video description. However, Phil Spencer alluded that something might have to give in an interview with Giant Bomb in terms of the cramped release window, so don’t be surprised to see it brought forward or back by a week or two.

Chances of success: if it was solely available through “traditional” means, you’d have to wonder. However, as it’s also a Game Pass title, expect Crackdown 3 to reach a few million downloads at the very least.

 

Trials Rising

Developer: Ubisoft
Publisher: Ubisoft, RedLynx
Platform(s): PC, PS4, XB1, Switch
Release date: February 2019

This might be a bit of a cheat considering that it has no concrete release date for February apart from the month itself, but Rising is still going to come up against some stiff competition for attention if gamers have to be selective with their purchases. Without a doubt the smallest game included here, Rising may have a tough time of it and not just because of its release window.

While fun, Trials Fusion didn’t have the same appeal to fans as its predecessors with it becoming somewhat of a black sheep in the family. As fellow Vulture Zack put it, Fusion was “Ubi-ized” and packed with tonnes of DLC and microtransactions. RedLynx have been listening to their fans for Rising, however, so it may be time for some redemption and also a lot of hilariously broken bones.

Chances of success: fair to middling. Won’t claim any top spots, though as the most widely available game included here in terms of platforms, Rising might surprise a few.

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