For example, August’s main games are Saints Row and Thymesia, September’s is Splatoon 3, and Forspoken and Gotham Knights are the only confirmed October releases as of this writing. November has lost Starfield, leaving it completely blank. It stands to reason that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, as well as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will help feel that void, but those are to be expected. In other words, the busiest time of the year is currently lacking major Xbox and PlayStation games.
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What fills this hole remains to be seen, but Microsoft may not have anything it can put out. Starfield was its big 2022 release, and that pushes everything back. It could perhaps surprise fans with a new game reveal at Xbox Game Pass, but that remains to be seen. When it comes to Sony, it doesn’t tend to focus on the holiday season as much as other companies. For example, its last exclusive release in 2021 was Death Stranding: Director’s Cut in September, with Kena and Deathloop also releasing that same month.
What this means is that a lot of the holiday season may fall on third-party titles, and the only two that seem likely to get confirmed release dates for the holiday season—barring the ever-present possibility of a delay—are Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Hogwarts Legacy. Everything here comes with the possibility of being delayed, as Starfield proves.
Other 2022 Video Games: God of War: Ragnarok, Final Fantasy 16, and More
Now, this isn’t to say there won’t be big releases, but barring a surprise from Xbox or a Sony shift toward the holiday season, the two aforementioned games are the safest bets. God of War: Ragnarok could release this year and give Elden Ring a run for its potential Game of the Year award win at The Game Awards, but Sony is more likely to release that in September than it is the holiday season. It could perfectly well slot in there, but late summer seems more likely given Sony’s recent approach.
Final Fantasy 16 is another one that could, but may not, release this year. Producer Yoshi-P recently confirmed that a new Final Fantasy 16 trailer is ready and waiting, presumably for a proper showcase, and also said that the development is basically done. This sort of language doesn’t guarantee a 2022 release, especially with a confirmed release window, but it’s not impossible. It could find its way into a holiday release window, but it’s not the safest bet here.
There are several other games that could fill this period, but either they are not the safest bets or don’t really compete in the same running as these other games.
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Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Will Likely Line Up With The Way of Water
Ubisoft’s Massive has Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora in development, and it’s likely to release in December this year. Ubisoft recently confirmed three games prior to April 2023: Avatar, Skull and Bones, and Mario + Rabbids Spark of Hope. As it stands, Skull and Bones feels like a 2023 release because of its history, and it stands to reason that Avatar and Mario + Rabbids would hit this year. Avatar’s biggest reasoning is the movie, Avatar: The Way of Water, which is scheduled to release on December 16.
Historically, the gaming industry doesn’t have great video game/movie tie-ins, but that’s not exactly what’s happening here. Massive’s Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is its own game, beautifully built on the Snowdrop Engine. Not much has been shown yet, but it would stand to reason that releasing this game around the hype of The Way to Water, especially in the holiday season, would be Ubi’s best bet.
Hogwarts Legacy Has a Holiday Release Window, Unless It is Delayed Too
Many fans have wanted a Harry Potter RPG for the longest time, and WB seems set to give it to them this fall. WB confirmed Hogwarts Legacy’s holiday 2022 release window during a State of Play event earlier this year. Now, more than Avatar, it has a chance of being delayed, but that doesn’t seem too terribly likely. WB has already delayed Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League and released LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. Putting Gotham Knights out in October provides enough time for Hogwarts Legacy to release in November, maybe December.
October is a good, popular release time, but most big “holiday” AAA releases are in November. This likely suggests WB has planned well for Hogwarts Legacy to be its big holiday season.
If there’s anything for certain, though, it’s that fans shouldn’t put all their eggs in one basket. Anything can be delayed, and how that possibility impacts this holiday season is still up in the air.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Hogwarts Legacy are in development.
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