Month
|
Day(s)
|
Event
|
January
|
4
|
Nintendo purchased Canadian video game developer Next Level Games, with the finalizations of the deal being done by March 1.[13]
|
13
|
Lucasfilm revived the Lucasfilm Games brand and announced a new Star Wars game from Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment, terminating the exclusive license held by Electronic Arts for the property.[14]
|
15
|
YoYo Games, the developers of the GameMaker software, were acquired by Opera to help establish an Opera Gaming division.[15]
|
22
|
Vicarious Visions was merged into Blizzard Entertainment with its staff of over 200 becoming employees of Blizzard.[16]
|
25
|
The Carlyle Group completed its acquisition of Jagex.[17]
|
February
|
1
|
Google shuttered its internal Stadia Games and Entertainment division, with plans to refocus the service as a publisher for third-party games.[18]
|
2
|
Embracer Group acquired Gearbox Software, Aspyr Media, and Easybrain.[19][20][21]
|
9
|
The Pokémon Company announced that the World Championships has been canceled due to concerns of COVID-19.[22]
|
18
|
Electronic Arts completed its estimated $1.2 billion acquisition of Codemasters.[23]
|
19–20
|
Blizzard Entertainment held its virtual BlizzCon event.[24]
|
March
|
2
|
Epic Games acquired Tonic Games Group, including developer Mediatonic.[25]
|
9
|
Microsoft's Xbox Game Studios completed its acquisition of ZeniMax Media and its subsidiary studios.[26]
|
tinyBuild offered its initial public offering on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange.[27]
|
10
|
The Roblox Corporation held its direct public offering on the New York Stock Exchange.[28]
|
16
|
Take-Two Interactive acquired HB Studios, which became a part of 2K.[29]
|
18
|
Sony Interactive Entertainment and Endeavor jointly acquired the Evolution Championship Series.[30]
|
Super Nintendo World opens to the public in Universal Studios Japan in Osaka.[31]
|
April
|
2
|
Focus Home Interactive acquired Streum On Studio.[32]
|
22
|
Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosted the 24th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, held as an online livestreamed event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[33]
|
25
|
Colette, a short documentary film co-produced by Oculus and Respawn Entertainment for Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject), making it the first Oscar awarded to a video game-related project.[34]
|
29
|
Electronic Arts completed its estimated $2.1 billion acquisition of mobile game developer Glu Mobile.[35][36]
|
May
|
3–24
|
The trial for the Epic Games v. Apple lawsuit was held.[37][38]
|
June
|
12–15
|
E3 2021 was held as an online event.[39]
|
29
|
Sony Interactive Entertainment acquired Housemarque, which became a part of PlayStation Studios.[40]
|
July
|
1
|
Sony Interactive Entertainment acquired Nixxes Software, which became a part of PlayStation Studios.[41]
|
15–18
|
PAX Online was held after cancelling the planned in-person PAX East event from June.[42]
|
19
|
Tencent announced its acquisition of Sumo Group for $1.3 billion.[43]
|
19–23
|
The Game Developers Conference and Independent Games Festival was held as an online event.[44][45]
|
20
|
The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) initiated a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard following a two-year investigation asserting the company maintained a hostile workplace that discriminated and harassed female employees, leading to thousands of employees signing onto an open letter and performing a walkout, demanding management take appropriate reaction.[46][47]
|
August
|
3
|
Blizzard Entertainment President J. Allen Brack left the company in the wake of the DFEH lawsuit.[48]
|
5
|
Embracer Group acquired eight additional studios, including 3D Realms, Ghost Ship Games and Slipgate Ironworks.[49]
|
Focus Home Interactive acquired Dotemu.[50]
|
6–8, 13–15
|
Evolution Championship Series 2021 was held as an online event.[51]
|
10
|
Krafton completed its initial public offering on the Korea Exchange, with an initial valuation of around $19 billion.[52]
|
19–21
|
Quakecon 2021 was held as an online event.[53]
|
25–27
|
Gamescom 2021 was held as an online event.[54]
|
30
|
China announces a law that restricts people under the age of 18 to play video games only up to 3 hours a week.[55][56]
|
September
|
8
|
Sony Interactive Entertainment acquired Firesprite, which became a part of PlayStation Studios.[57]
|
10
|
In Epic Games v. Apple, Apple was given a permanent injunction preventing them from blocking apps that included links to third-party payment systems.[58]
|
28
|
Netflix acquired Night School Studio as its first game studio.[59]
|
30
|
Sony Interactive Entertainment acquired Bluepoint Games, which became a part of PlayStation Studios.[60]
|
30–
|
Tokyo Game Show 2021 was held as an online event.[61]
|
October
|
3
|
7–17
|
The International 2021, the tenth iteration of the annual Dota 2 global esports tournament, was held in Bucharest, Romania. It holds the record for the largest esports prize pool of all time at $40 million.[62]
|
21
|
NetEase acquired Grasshopper Manufacture from GungHo Online Entertainment.[63]
|
28
|
Mark Zuckerberg rebrands Facebook as Meta Platforms. Zuckerberg announced that "The Metaverse" will be a hybrid of social media, fitness, gaming, and more.[64][65][66]
|
29
|
Krafton acquired Unknown Worlds Entertainment.[67]
|
November
|
2
|
Netflix launched its video game service via its mobile app for subscribers.[68]
|
4
|
Devolver Digital went public on the Alternative Investment Market and acquired Dodge Roll, Nerial and Firefly Studios.[69][70]
|
15
|
Take-Two Interactive acquired Roll7, which became a part of Private Division.[71]
|
16
|
G4, the gaming-focused TV network that shut down in 2014, was relaunched on various linear TV and streaming services.[72]
|
23
|
Epic Games acquired Harmonix.[73]
|
December
|
9
|
The Game Awards 2021 was held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.[74][2]
|
10
|
Sony Interactive Entertainment acquired Valkyrie Entertainment, which became a part of PlayStation Studios.[75]
|
15
|
Embracer Group acquired board game publisher Asmodee.[76]
|
17
|
Tencent acquired Turtle Rock Studios.[77]
|
21
|
Embracer Group acquired Perfect World Entertainment along with its publishing group and Cryptic Studios,[78] as well as Dark Horse Media, the parent company of Dark Horse Comics and Dark Horse Entertainment.[79]
|
27
|
Riot Games agreed to settle its workplace gender discrimination lawsuit with two former employees for $100 million.[80]
|