The Second Half Of 2023 Is Jam-Packed With Games All Of A Sudden
Just last week, the gaming world was living in what many had thought would be the peak time of the year. With Summer Game Fest around the corner, millions of players making their way through Hyrule, Hell, and Metro City, and with Valisthea on the horizon, excitement and enjoyment filled the air in every pocket of the industry. Things were busy–the beginning of the year was stacked, after all–but outside of a few releases sprinkled around the summer and fall, there was a light at the end of the tunnel to take a breath and play at our own pace.
Now though, as the dust settles and the fallout from Summer Game Fest comes into focus, one thing is abundantly clear. 2023 isn’t over yet: not by a longshot. And with the June 2023 Nintendo Direct having now aired, the situation is even more extreme.
Autumn abundance
As announcements rolled in and we began to take stock of everything being thrown at us, we noticed a 10-day period in October which now contains five of the most-anticipated launches of the year:
- Forza Motorsport – October 10
- Assassin’s Creed Mirage – October 12
- Alan Wake 2 – October 17
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 – October 20
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder – October 20
That list leaves out smaller-yet-popular games like Lords Of The Fallen (October 13) and Endless Dungeon (October 19) which fall in the same window. If we expand the calendar further in both directions, we run into games like Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless (October 3), Cities Skyline 2 (October 24) and the Alone In The Dark reboot (October 25).
October alone is loaded, but if we continue to branch into the surrounding months, there’s little room to breathe before or after. September starts off with a galaxy-sized game in Starfield (September 6), and then eight days later we have a preview of October’s 10-day gauntlet with The Crew Motorfest (September 14), Lies Of P (September 19), and Mortal Kombat 1 (September 19). Hack-and-slash/dating sim Eternights (September 21) hits shelves two days after that, and there are two potential hits with vague “September” release windows in Monster Hunter Now and Robocop: Rogue City.
November and December are currently not as busy, but there are four games worth consideration. Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name (November 9) gives Yakuza fans a new chapter to chew on. Persona 5 Tactica (November 17) injects a bit of Fire Emblem into the Persona franchise, while Nintendo’s June 21 Nintendo Direct unveiled a remake of Super Mario RPG: Legend Of The Seven Stars for the same day. Finally, as revealed at Ubisoft Forward, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora drops December 7, which will put a blue Na’vi bow on the year (we think).
Phew.