Back in December 2021, I wrote that 2022 was going to be a year for the record books. In December 2021, I was an idiot. While this looked set to be a banner year for video games, a slew of cancellations (in part caused by fear of repeating the mistakes of Cyberpunk 2077) has seen 2022 look, if not empty, then downright average. Despite a large number of major dropouts – Breath of the Wild 2 and Starfield will now challenge for GOTY 2023 – 2022 could still recover, but the dark horses ready to step into the race have gone quiet. The field is wide open, and yet Avatar and Hellblade are nowhere to be seen. What gives?
