'Pushed to the limit': could 2021 be the worst year ever for video games?

Millions bought new consoles in 2020. But with the pandemic ruining big releases, there's a shortage of games to play on them

Since the pandemic began, the video games industry has been booming. Last year was a bumper year, with most of the world's population forced inside by lockdowns and looking for safe ways to have fun and socialise, and new games consoles such as PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S launching in November. UK consumers spent more on games last year than ever before; Roblox, a gaming platform popular with children and teens, saw an 85% uptick in players and shares in the company recently rose 60%, increasing its value to $47bn. Last year's games were great, too, from lockdown saviour Animal Crossing: New Horizons to the provocative horror game The Last of Us II and the knockabout multiplayer caper Fall Guys.

But 2021, so far, is depressingly devoid of exciting gaming experiences. Since new PlayStation and Xbox consoles were launched last November, there has been almost nothing new to play on them - and due to supply issues, many thousands of people still haven't been able to even buy one. Usually March is when the first big games of the year start to appear, but this time there's been very little.