Gamers, rejoice! A new video game is coming out

Video game enthusiasts around the world are buzzing with anticipation for the impending release of a brand-new game. The wait for this one has been even longer than usual. Historically a new game has come out, on average, about once every 18 months, but this will be the first since 2018’s Red Dead Redemption 2.

Reid Burton, 27, of Brighton, Massachusetts, was one of over 20 customers already lined up outside a local GameStop days before the new game is expected to go on sale. "I’m sure I could have pre-ordered it on Amazon, but how often do you get the chance to celebrate like this with your fellow gamers?” Burton said. “This is our Woodstock.”

Despite their rarity, video games are a big business. They drive billions of dollars in revenue for the few companies that do publish them, and leading retailers like GameStop capitalize both on new sales and the bustling secondary market. For GameStop, a publicly traded company, mere rumors of a new game are enough to send its stock price soaring. Shares spiked more than 150% earlier this year when a Reddit investor named “PepeLePewPew” revealed that he had purchased a six-figure stake in the chain in anticipation of the new game.

Not everyone is pleased with the seemingly random and unpredictable nature of video game releases. The CEO of Activision Blizzard, Bobby Kotick, acknowledged that many customers would prefer not to wait so long. “We’ve heard our players loud and clear, and they want more games,” Kotick said. “In an ideal world, we’d release a new game far more often, perhaps annually. We’re exploring some innovative new ideas, including the possibility of a sequel to an existing game.”

Kotick added, “Of course, we haven’t announced anything officially.”

A new game coming to market is a boon not just for the game’s publisher and retailers, but for a vast ecosystem of other businesses. Tina Amini is the editor-in-chief of IGN, a network of websites that publishes video game news, reviews, guides, and more. According to Amini, “We’ve been pretty successful at covering the several games that are already out there. But I’d be lying if I said a new game wouldn’t do wonders for our traffic. Publishing a review alone is like gold.”

With just days to wait until the new video game is finally released, all that remains to be seen is what kind of game it will be. Burton says he’ll be happy with anything, but he hopes it’s a Japanese role-playing game like the one he played as a kid. “Those games are really long and have great stories. You can play them over and over.”

At press time, Vegas oddsmakers were predicting that the new game would be a first-person shooter.