Christmas comes early for gamers

In the past few years, new Apple iPhones have been launching on cue with clockwork precision. The video game industry, however, has been doing the same for decades with its best-selling - so-called triple-A - video games.

Gamers can always count on a barrage of new releases each autumn in the Northern Hemisphere - from around the end of September to the end of the year.

Last month saw a deluge of sports games. These include racing game Forza Horizon 3, basketball simulation NBA 2K17 and the perennial loggerheads in football simulation - Pro Evolution Football 2017 and Fifa 17.

Early this month, Mafia III and Gears Of War 4 were released. And later this month, we will see the launch of the sixth iteration of the decades-old turn-based strategy game, Civilization.

First-person shooters (FPS) Battlefield 1 and Titanfall 2 will also make their debut this month.

In November, FPS fans can continue their blood thirst with Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare.

Action-adventure gamers can finally get their hands on Dishonored 2 and Watchdogs 2.

Why has the year-end period been so hot for new game launches?The general hypothesis is that the days are shorter during autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. So, people tend to stay indoors during the nights, allowing them more time to play video games.

In addition, it marks the start of the Christmas shopping season from September to December. This is when parents start to shop for games for their children to play during the winter break.

Or game vendors could be wanting to make sure gamers spend their money on these game titles, rather than on the annual Black Friday sale in the United States.

In any case, this is the time of the year when gamers get to enjoy the best titles.

Games to look out for these few months

Battlefield 1 (PC, PS4, Xbox One) - Oct 21

Titanfall 2 (PC, PS4, Xbox One) - Oct 28

Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare (PC, PS4, Xbox One) - Nov 4

Dishonored 2 (PC, PS4, Xbox One) - Nov 11

Watchdogs 2 (PC, PS4, Xbox One) - Nov 15

Pokemon Sun and Moon (3DS) - Nov 18

Final Fantasy XV (PS4, Xbox One) - Nov 29

Dead Rising 4 (PC, Xbox One) - Dec 6

The Last Guardian (PS4) - Dec 6

trevtan@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on October 19, 2016.
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