2022 has come to an end, and with it a year full of video games news. A lot went on in the gaming space this year, with the industry seeing waves of acquisitions, the rise and fall of cryptocurrencies and NFTs, some game releases that took the world by storm and a casting choice for a video game movie that we all came together to dunk on.
Think you can remember all the big stories? Try our quiz below to see how well you know the gaming news of 2022.
Question 1 of 10
Which actor voices Mario in the upcoming “The Super Mario Bros. Movie”?
Nintendo showed the first trailer for “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” in October, giving all of us an earful of Chris Pratt (of “Parks and Recreation” and Guardians of the Galaxy fame) as the iconic plumber. Many fans were swift to decry the choice for the snub to Mario’s longtime voice actor, Charles Martinet, and for what they felt was Pratt’s uninspired voice acting (not to mention his ties to the controversial megachurch Hillsong). At least the non-English voices are fun.
Question 2 of 10
Which major tech company announced this year that it’s shutting down its cloud gaming service?
Google’s venture into cloud gaming came to an end this year, when in September it announced the shutdown of Stadia by Jan. 18, 2023. Released in 2019, Stadia promised the ability to play video games without needing a high-end console or powerful computer, using Google’s data centers. Stadia had a lot of potential, and it was, briefly and unexpectedly, one of the more reliable ways to play “Cyberpunk 2077” following the game’s rocky 2020 launch. Players can get refunds for their games and hardware, and several game developers are offering ways to transfer saves to a new device.
Question 3 of 10
Which video game studio — the first to unionize in North America — found itself back in the news this year when it announced it was shutting down?
Vodeo Games, developer of the game “Beast Breaker,” announced it was shutting down in September. Vodeo became the first officially recognized video game union in North America in 2021, part of a movement that swelled this year to include employees at studios such as Raven Software, Blizzard Albany, ZeniMax and others.
Question 4 of 10
Which popular game series’s next entry leaked this year, with large amounts of footage appearing widely online?
In September, over 90 clips of a new game by Grand Theft Auto developer Rockstar were leaked online, apparently in-development footage of “Grand Theft Auto VI.” Rockstar was quick to take them down, later confirming the leak was the result of a hack. The clips showed a potential female protagonist, a first for the popular crime/driving/doing-crimes-while-driving series. The “GTA VI” leak was one of the largest in the history of the notoriously secretive video game industry. The leaker, a teenager from England, was arrested and charged with computer misuse.
Question 5 of 10
Which of the following gaming acquisitions wasn’t announced this year?
2022 was a banner year for video game acquisitions, the biggest of which was Microsoft’s in-progress purchase of Activision Blizzard for nearly $69 billion. The FTC sued to block the deal in early December, and the European Union has been investigating it, with both governing bodies citing concerns over the deal’s impact on competition in the video game industry. Other acquisitions this year included Embracer Group buying Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics and Deus Ex developer Eidos-Montréal from Square Enix (among many other studios), Sony acquiring Destiny maker Bungie, and Take-Two Interactive buying “FarmVille” creator Zynga. (Microsoft acquired ZeniMax in 2020, which was approximately 1 million years ago.)
Question 6 of 10
What was the name of the “Elden Ring” player who helped gamers across the world by taking on the tough boss Melania wearing nothing but a loincloth and a pot on his head?
Notoriously difficult game “Elden Ring” saw an unexpected hero in player Let Me Solo Her, whose avatar — naked except for a pot on his head — appeared in players’ games to take on the notoriously challenging boss Melania. Gamers came together in May to watch Let Me Solo Her kill Melania for the 1,000th time, a feat that earned him a special gift from “Elden Ring” publisher Bandai Namco and developer From Software.
Question 7 of 10
Which revived gaming-focused television network shut down this year after being brought back by Comcast in 2020?
The original G4 made popular many personalities gamers know today, such as Adam Sessler, Olivia Munn and Geoff Keighley. Fans were cautiously optimistic when Comcast announced it was reviving the channel in 2020. But the new G4 struggled to find its footing, facing shifting content priorities and several rounds of layoffs. Its owners abruptly closed the network in mid-October.
Question 8 of 10
Which cryptocurrency firm — which became mired in controversy at the end of this year — had a partnership with troubled esports organization TSM?
Esports organization TSM signed a 10-year naming rights agreement with cryptocurrency exchange FTX in 2021, but that deal dissolved this year when FTX founder and CEO Sam Bankman-Fried stepped down following accusations of misappropriation of funds amid broader declines in the cryptocurrency space. Most recently, “League of Legends” developer Riot Games ended a seven-year sponsorship deal with the now-bankrupt FTX (Bankman-Fried is, reportedly, a big “League” fan.).
Question 9 of 10
What longtime goal did Pokémon protagonist Ash Ketchum finally achieve this year?
After 25 years of trying while admirably remaining only 10 years old, the Pokémon anime’s protagonist, Ash Ketchum, became Pokémon world champion, finally becoming the best, like no one ever was. Perhaps as a result of this achievement, Ketchum won’t be the star of the Pokémon anime series moving forward. Maybe now he’ll finally be allowed to have a birthday.
Question 10 of 10
What was the best-selling game of 2022?
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II released in late October, and in its short 2022 life span it managed to surpass previous bestseller “Elden Ring” to become the top-selling video game of the year. In its first weekend, the game made over $800 million dollars in sales, and the subsequent additions of multiplayer modes Warzone 2.0 and DMZ have kept players coming back.
