It's hard to believe it, but 2021 is finally winding down. It's been a long year, certainly an eventful one, and there's the promise of more great games to come in 2022. But while 2021 was filled to the brim with amazing announcements and incredible games, it was also jam packed with controversies ranging from minor slights to masssive shakeups with huge implications. Here are the biggest of those controversies.
Activision Blizzard Battles Workplace Harassment and More
Nothing has been more defining for the games industry in 2021 than Activision Blizzard's problems with harassment, toxicity, and gender discrimination. The company has repeatedly failed to address the controversy, often taking steps that only further its negative reputation. Employees have walked out, investigations have been opened, and both workers and the public have called for CEO Bobby Kotick's removal from his position. The company is strapping in for a long legal battle, and doesn't seem to be taking its employees' complaints seriously, frustrating everyone involved with the situation.
Ubisoft's Turbulent Year
While it's struggled with many of the same issues that Activision Blizzard has, Ubisoft's case hasn't been quite so extreme. However, the publishing giant has had its fair share of missteps throughout the year, struggling with its own toxic work environment, major missteps with new game announcements, and the ill-received announcement of Ubisoft Quartz, a new NFT initiative that the company has created. Ubisoft has some major games on the horizon, but it's repuation has been tarnished over the last year.
GameStop Stock Mess Stirs Wall Street
It seems like ages ago now, but no event in 2021 tangentially related to games has received as much mainstream news coverage as the GameStop stock trading debacle, which saw a group of investors from the r/WallStreetBets subreddit inflate GameStop’s share price after learning that it was being shorted by Wall Street bankers. Following that, there was a flurry of controversy that poured into other areas, like AMC stock and Dogecoin. The situation prompted conversations about who should be allowed to invest, and whether or not mass-market manipulation from individuals should be allowed to happen.
Grand Theft Auto Trilogy Woes
Rockstar Games is in an interesting position, though certainly a complicated one. The company has found lasting success in Grand Theft Auto Online, which has become an ever-present platform for Grand Theft Auto as a franchise. However, fans are clamoring for Grand Theft Auto 6, and there’s been no real information about it. Rockstar released Grand Theft Auto Trilogy - Definitive Edition to help hold fans over, but it was a disaster. Each of the three games was stuffed with issues, lackluster visual overhauls, and other problems that left fans disappointed. Making matters worse, Rockstar pulled the original games from sale and has taken a firm stance against mods that remastered the three games in the trilogy, often with better results than Grand Theft Auto Trilogy - Definitive Edition.
Blue Box Games Overhypes and Under Delivers With Abandoned
It isn’t uncommon for developers to tease their games, but Blue Box Games took things way too far with Abandoned, and in doing so the company erased any good faith that the general gaming audience had in both its project, Abandoned, and the studio itself. The developer leaned into rumors that Abandoned was a Silent Hill reboot, hyped up a teaser that it had previously shown, and played koi when rumors began to circulate that the studio was related to Hideo Kojima. The entire debacle bore no fruit for Blue Box but instead was the equivalent of the studio setting itself on fire.
PlayStation Tries to Shut Down PS3, PSP, and PS Vita Stores
While it had a good year, PlayStation had its own share of controversy. Though it pales in comparison to some of the larger issues, PlayStation’s attempt to shut down the PS3, PSP, and PSP stores was met with intense criticism. Longtime fans cited concerns about games preservation an the ability to use older consoles in general. Clearly, Sony wasn’t anticipating nearly as bad of a response as to got, and the company ended up reversing the decision. While the PSP store will still be shut down, the PS3 and PS Vita are safe for at least a while longer.
Bungie Report Reveals Toxic Culture
One of the most recent entries on the list, Bungie recently found its way into the spotlight for the wrong reasons. A report published by IGN detailed issues that Bungie employees have faced, including harassment, boys’ club culture, and a bevy of other problems. In the time since, Bungie leadership has promised sweeping changes at the company. On Twitter, developers have vented about the situation, many recognizing that there are issues, even if they weren’t directly impacted by them. All of this comes amid Bungie’s anniversary, making the situation more complicated.
Halo Infinite’s Battle Pass and Progression
Halo Infinite has been well received, but its monetization and progression are a different story entirely. Its multiplayer was surprise-launched during Xbox’s Anniversary Showcase, a huge win for Microsoft and a major achievement for 343 Industries. The multiplayer gameplay has been a perfect balance of modern and traditional gameplay. However, Infinite’s Battle Pass and Progression stirred up controversy when it first launched. Progress was painfully slow, as players had to complete hyper-specific challenges to earn their way through the Battle Pass. This has led to a general distrust between players and Halo Infinite's monetization practices.
Metroid Dread Failure to Credit Developers
If anything is true about games, it's that the people that make them work incredibly hard to ensure that games are the best they can be. The same is true for Metroid Dread, which has earned glowing reviews and exists as one of the finest showcases of why the Switch OLED is a meaningful upgrade. However, developer MercurySteam left the names of former staffers out of its credits, a move that was widely criticized by both developers and the internet at large.
Nintendo 64 Expansion Pack Doesn't Live Up to the Hype
The Nintendo 64 is a beloved console, so Nintendo's announcement that the system would be added to Nintendo Switch Online got some buzz going. However, it also came with the stipulation that fans would need to upgrade their subscription if they wanted to have access to each of the games included. For many, the increased price was enough to turn away from the service, but those that did upgrade were met with a different suite of problems. The emulation software left something to be desired, resulting in games that felt worse to play than if they'd been put on user-created emulators.
Resident Evil Village's Plagiarized Boss Fight
Certainly one of the most anticipated games of 2021, Resident Evil Village managed to bag a Game of the Year nomination at this years' Game Awards show. However, Dutch filmmaker Richard Raaphorst accused Capcom of plagiarising enemies shortly after Resident Evil Village released, with some difficult-to-dismiss similarities between the two. The incident was related to an enemy that wore a computer turbine on its head, which Capcom also featured.
Six Days in Fallujah's Return
A realistic war game set during the Second Battle of Fallujah that follows the stories of soldiers there is, clearly, a bad idea, which is why Six Days in Fallujah never released in the first place. However, 2021 saw the announcement that Six Days in Fallujah is returning, which was immediately met with a tidal wave of criticism. Since then, Six Days in Fallujah has more or less gone quiet, though it seems its ill-advised plan to release is still chugging along.
Twitch Hate Raids Go Unaddressed
Ask Twitch streamers – and viewers – what the hottest topic on the platform was this year, and many will say hate raids. In the past, raids were seen as a positive thing, as large streamers would direct their audiences to up-and-comers to help build out the newbie's audience. However, that's changed, and it's not uncommon to see a wave of harassment directed at a small channel, usually those in the LGBT community or part of another disparaged group. Twitch has taken some minor steps to fix the problem, but hate raids are still a major issue on the platform.
Xbox Live's Price Almost Increases
Xbox Live has become a bit of an interesting proposition in 2021, as fans are getting significantly more value from Xbox Game Pass for just a bit more. Because of that, Xbox predictably kicked a hornet's nest when it tried to up the price of the standard Xbox Live Gold subscription earlier this year. While the price increase wasn't massive, starting at an additional dollar for the month-to-month option, Xbox didn't do anything to add value to the service. The internet immediately began making comparisons to PlayStation Plus' value, and the feedback was so negative that Xbox reversed course later that day.
God of War Ragnarok Reveal Controversies
If there's one event that shows how disingenuous and vile gamers can be, it was the "controversy" surrounding God of War Ragnarok's reveal. Fans criticized its portrayal of Angrboda, who in Norse mythology is the mate of Loki. Angrboda is Black, something that tides of gamers from a particularly vocal subset of the internet latched onto and used as an excuse to spew hate at Ragnarok's developers and cast. It was a disgusting display, but one that has become all-to-common in the games industry.
Many of the entries on this list will last until 2022, as companies gear up for legal battles and work towards repairing their images. Unfortunately, 2022 will also have its own set of entirely new controversies to work through too. For those that just want to unwind with games at the end of a long day, the best thing to do is just to disconnect, sit back, and keep a positive attitude while playing.