2015 was an exciting year for gaming and here are some key events in gaming from 2015.
2015 was an exciting year for gaming. It was packed with awesome games and exciting announcements which not only made gamers everywhere thoroughly enjoy 2015 but also eagerly look forward to the year ahead. While I was planning my New year's eve bash I couldn't help but reminisce on everything gaming from 2015. We witnessed Master Chief's epic return to consoles in Halo 5: Guardians to the ‘six million dollar Echo Slam’ by Evil Geniuses support player ‘Universe’ to seal CDEC fate in the Dota 2 international. As we await 2016, let's take a look at all the milestones we hit in gaming from 2015.
1. The International 2015 (Dota 2)
)
The largest prize pool in ESports was claimed by Evil Geniuses after an amazing performance from carry player Clinton Loomis (better known as Fear) and Mid Solo player Syed Sumail "Suma1L" Hassan to upset CDEC Gaming. The Dota 2 event marked a milestone for Evil Geniuses as this was the first time an American team won the Dota 2 International. Watch Universe’s ‘six million dollar Echo Slam’ here
2. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End release date finally confirmed
)
Naughty Dog announced that Uncharted 4 would release on PlayStation 4 on March 18, 2016. This title has been on my wishlist ever since November 14, 2013, when Naughty Dog released a teaser trailer. The game was supposed to come on March 11, 2015 and after a whole year of waiting hopefully they don’t push the release date. Watch the Uncharted 4: A Thief's End E3 2015 Trailer here
3. Hideo Kojima fired from Konami
)
The Phantom Pain marked the end of an extremely successful partnership between Hideo Kojima and Konami. Read the full article here
4. Hideo Kojima makes comeback with Kojima Productions
)
Kojima Productions was founded in 2005 as a subsidiary of Konami but was temporarily disbanded in 2015 following the termination of Hideo Kojima. The company was reformed as an Independent studio in December 2015 and partnered with Sony for an Exclusive game on the Playstation 4. Read full article here
5. The return of Master Chief
)
Halo Fans finally got a chance to play a Halo game with the lead protagonist, Master chief. Halo 5 also brought MOBA elements to the FPS genre in the extremely fun game mode, War Zone. Read full article here
6. Backward Compatibility on the Xbox One
)
Backward compatibility was probably the biggest update on Xbox One (or any console for that matter). On June 15, 2015, backward compatibility for Xbox 360 games became available to eligible Xbox Preview program users. The update was released publicly on November 12, 2015.
7. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata passes away at age 55
)
Nintendo President Satoru Iwata passed away unexpectedly on July 11, 2015 due to a bile duct growth and the world mourned one of the greatest game designers of all time. Read full article here
8. Oculus Rift partner with Samsung Gear VR
)
Oculus Rift partnership with Samsung brought virtual reality to the 2016. Read full article here
9. Launch of the Consumer-ready Oculus Rift VR system
)
The much anticipated virtual reality system, Oculus Rift was finally consumer-ready. Read full article here
10. Microsoft HoloLens
)
Microsoft acquired Mojang, the makers of the long-running hit game Minecraft for USD $2.5 billion. Minecraft, which lets users build in and explore a Lego-like virtual multiplayer world, has been downloaded 100 million times on PC alone since its launch in 2009. It is the most popular online game on Xbox, and the top paid app for Apple's iOS and Google's Android operating system in the US. The Acquisition allowed Microsoft to show off the HoloLens Augmented Reality system and it was quite impressive. It was so impressive that NASA teamed up with Microsoft to develop a system that uses HoloLens to assist astronauts on the International Space Station. The HoloLens is a great piece of technology, can’t wait to see what they do with this in 2016. Check out the video here.
11. Game of the Year
)
Early reports say that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt won game of the year 2015. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a story-driven, next-generation open world role-playing game set in a visually stunning fantasy universe full of meaningful choices and impactful consequences. The campaign is about 200 hours long if you plan on completing every mission and exploring every nook and cranny of this massive unnamed Continent.
