In 2017, the video game industry was firing on all cylinders, leveraging cutting-edge technology and tremendous creative ambition to deliver one of the most diverse and exciting years in the medium‘s history. Across all platforms, developers harnessed advancements in hardware power, game engines, and design philosophy to push the boundaries of interactive entertainment. The result was an avalanche of instant classics that set new benchmarks for visual presentation, player engagement, storytelling, and technical achievement.
Perhaps no single gaming device captured the spirit of innovation in 2017 better than the Nintendo Switch. Launching in March of that year, the Switch‘s novel hybrid design – allowing for play both on a TV and in portable mode – reinvented and reinvigorated the concept of handheld gaming. Critically, Nintendo backed up the Switch‘s unique hardware with an equally strong software lineup headlined by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey.
Breath of the Wild in particular was a revelation, featuring an ambitious physics-driven open world that encouraged experimentation and emergent gameplay. With its emphasis on player freedom and discovery, Breath of the Wild set the gold standard for open world design and laid the groundwork for a new generation of Zelda games. Sales numbers reinforce the game‘s huge impact and influence: Breath of the Wild sold over 8.48 million copies in 2017, an astounding attach rate for a console launch title [1].
On the technical front, 2017 saw developers harnessing increased processing power and advanced game engines to create stunningly detailed and expansive virtual worlds. Guerrilla Games‘ Horizon Zero Dawn was a prime example, leveraging the studio‘s proprietary Decima engine to render a lush, vibrant post-apocalyptic landscape filled with complex AI-driven robot creatures. The game‘s scope and fidelity set a new visual bar for open world action games, with an unparalleled sense of place and authenticity.
Another technical milestone came in the form of Ninja Theory‘s Hellblade: Senua‘s Sacrifice, which employed cutting-edge facial animation and binaural audio to create an intensely intimate and emotionally resonant character study. By using a combination of live action performance capture and real-time rendering techniques, Hellblade achieved a level of realism and subtlety in its character performances that was virtually unprecedented in games. It was a powerful showcase of how games could leverage technology in service of raw human drama and psychological depth.
Of course, advancements in technology and design weren‘t just limited to big-budget AAA productions. One of 2017‘s most iconic and stylistically original games was StudioMDHR‘s Cuphead, a hand-drawn 2D platformer that married punishing gameplay with stunning 1930s-inspired animation. Despite the game‘s intentionally retro cartoon aesthetic, Cuphead was a thoroughly modern creation, using a custom-built Unity engine and proprietary animation tools to bring its characters and world to life. The game was a breakout success, selling over 2 million copies by the end of 2017 [2].
The indie scene in general continued to thrive in 2017, with games like Team Cherry‘s Hollow Knight, Giant Sparrow‘s What Remains of Edith Finch, and SteamWorld‘s SteamWorld Dig 2 earning widespread critical acclaim. Digital storefronts like Steam, PlayStation Network, and Nintendo eShop made it easier than ever for independent developers to get their games in front of large audiences. At the same time, the rise of digital distribution and games-as-a-service models was reshaping the economics of the industry.
On that front, 2017 saw the meteoric rise of PUBG Corporation‘s PlayerUnknown‘s Battlegrounds, which almost single-handedly popularized the battle royale multiplayer genre. Originally released in Early Access on PC, PUBG sold over 13 million copies by the end of the year, making it one of the best-selling and most played games on Steam [3]. The game‘s success kickstarted an industry-wide trend of games incorporating battle royale modes and mechanics, one that would only accelerate in the coming years.
Other popular games like Bungie‘s Destiny 2 and Ubisoft‘s For Honor embraced the games-as-a-service model, delivering a steady stream of post-launch content and monetization hooks. This approach was not without controversy, however, as the year also saw heated debates around the use of loot boxes and other randomized monetization mechanics. Games like EA‘s Star Wars Battlefront II and Microsoft‘s Forza Motorsport 7 drew widespread criticism for their implementation of loot boxes, leading to discussions around regulation and industry self-policing.
On the hardware front, 2017 marked a major inflection point in console gaming with the launch of the Xbox One X and PS4 Pro. Billed as the most powerful consoles ever made, these mid-cycle hardware refreshes ushered in native 4K gaming and HDR support, leveraging advances in GPU technology to deliver higher resolutions and more stable frame rates. While not all games took full advantage of the hardware, titles like Assassin‘s Creed Origins and Forza Horizon 7 showcased the visual benefits of 4K rendering.
Meanwhile, virtual reality continued to gain traction in 2017, with Sony‘s PSVR and Facebook‘s Oculus Rift leading the charge. Games like Capcom‘s Resident Evil 7 and Polyarc‘s Moss demonstrated the immersive potential of VR, while experiences like Owlchemy Labs‘ Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality hinted at the technology‘s broader entertainment applications. While VR remained a niche within the larger gaming market, 2017 saw steady growth and adoption, setting the stage for further breakthroughs down the line.
All told, the gaming industry in 2017 was marked by equal parts innovation and iteration. On one hand, the year saw major technical and design advancements in areas like open world building, character rendering, and physics simulation. On the other hand, many of the year‘s biggest hits were sequels and franchise installments that refined and expanded on established formulas. Games like Persona 5, Resident Evil 7, Assassin‘s Creed Origins, and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy delivered fresh takes on their respective series while still staying true to their core mechanics and design philosophies.
But whether you were exploring Hyrule‘s wild frontier for the first time or dropping onto a deserted island with 99 other players, there was an undeniable sense that gaming was evolving before our very eyes. New hardware, new technologies, and new modes of play were changing the way developers thought about the medium and how players engaged with their virtual worlds.
In that sense, 2017 felt like a turning point, a year that crystalized the industry‘s potential and set the stage for even greater things to come. And while the last five years have brought no shortage of incredible games and seismic technological shifts, 2017 will always stand out as the moment when that future came into focus. It was, quite simply, a landmark year for an endlessly inventive medium.
References:
[1] Nintendo (2018). Earnings Release: Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2018. Retrieved from https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2018/180426_2e.pdf
[2] StudioMDHR (2017). Cuphead Has Sold Over 2 Million Copies! Retrieved from https://studiomdhr.com/cuphead-has-sold-over-2-million-copies/
[3] Nunneley, S. (2017). PUBG has now sold over 20M copies on PC, players have spent 2.7B hours in-game. VG247. Retrieved from https://www.vg247.com/pubg-sales-numbers-pc
