The year 2010 was one of realignment for the videogame industry. Microsoft and Sony further realigned their priorities to include mass audiences; the market itself continued to realign in which such a way that games like Angry Birds became megahits; and, of course, Infinity Ward founders Jason West and Vince Zampella realigned themselves with a new company.
And as usual, there were powerful highs and terrible lows. While Duke Nukem got a second lease on life, APB was shutdown a mere two months after launch; and while Angry Birds had 50 million downloads, EA’s reboot of its NBA franchise failed to even make it out of the gate. Meanwhile, the videogame industry has arrived at a critical juncture in its history as the Supreme Court decides whether to allow California to criminalize the sale of mature-rated games to minors.
It was a busy year indeed. Have a look below for the complete lists of 2010’s biggest news.