Do 2021 Sports Games Make Sense?

Another year, another sports game. Except, most of the time, nothing big changes except the team rosters and maybe another game mode or two. This has been the case for the majority of the 2010s and it looks to be that way going into the 2020s. They’re giant cash cows to willing consumers, but does it really sound like a good idea to have sports games branded for next year in the midst of current events?

COVID-19 put a screeching halt to sports from Spring 2020 on, with seasons postponed for several months due to the rampancy of the spread of this virus. There’s an argument to be made that players can be safer within their bubble away from the general public. However, MLB teams St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins have had confirmed positive cases, jeopardizing the rest of the season. As such, it’s a touchy subject and one to polarize some players.

Aside from the current state of affairs, it could do the genre some good to take a break. Assassin’s Creed had the annual treatment, and enough was enough when Unity released in such a laughably-broken state that it warranted a departure from the yearly outings. Afterwards, the touted titles Origins and Odyssey came about, renewing interest in the franchise for many players and restoring the honor behind the name Assassin’s Creed.

There’s no denying that sports titles have reached the point of exhaustion. Games will release year after year with marginal improvements, and some not getting the attention they need. Just take a look at the Steam reviews for the WWE 2K titles, with 2K20 being the most dismal. In addition the NBA 2K games aren’t faring much better, with a “Mostly Negative” score from thousands of people who shelled out the full price for a broken game.

When these games inevitably get released this year under the 2021 moniker, how will they differ from the 2020 offerings? What is the main draw that separates them from their previous iterations? Why are they now worth $70 when they will sell for a few bucks used at resellers in a few years? These questions should have obvious answers, but do not. These questions aren’t being asked by the millions that continue to buy into the genre on a yearly basis and are complacent with fleeting quality. They are content spending hundreds for seemingly the same game across the console generation.

With a new generation on the horizon, the graphical boost in these titles will at least be considerable, perhaps even warranting new engines when the titles get developed in fiscal 2021. Nevertheless, I do not plan on shelling out any money for a sports game anytime soon. That is, unless a team can successfully bring an NHL game to the PC platform, which is something that hasn’t been done in over a decade. It’s sad to see multi-million dollar franchises remain stale over such a long period of time, but maybe we’ll see a miracle and get a great hockey game or a wrestling game that’s as fun as WWE All-Stars. Who knows?