It was an especially strong year in terms of quality across the board for sports video games. While there has been a dramatic reduction in the number of league-licensed games over the last decade, the upside to that is quality has to be high for them to survive. Meanwhile independent developers have now shown the ability to provide the more niche-like experiences that have been lacking. Unfortunately a detrimental release schedule that compresses almost all of the year's games into a six week window remains a big concern for the future health of the genre.
Here's a look at the biggest news stories and developments in the world of sports gaming from 2016 that played a role not only this last year but also may impact years ahead.
The Sports Game Release Schedule Remains Broken
It was one of the stories from 2015 that had the most impact on the genre and the situation only worsened in 2016. With NBA 2K17 inexplicably moving its release up to mid-September, a six week period featured the release of almost every major sports game for the entire year. While the big games can survive the competition it's the smaller ones that end up getting squeezed out as consumers are forced to scrutinize which games to purchase and which to pass on more than they've had to in the past. There's simply not enough money and time to go around. ( Podcast: The broken sports video game release schedule )
eSports Struggles
Despite efforts from publishers to grow their standing in the competitive scene, sports games have yet to find much of an eSports audience. It's a huge challenge to make them a compelling watch when real sports act as the competition. Even still the companies are putting big money into the events in the hopes that the investments will pay off in the future. ( Sports games face early eSports growing pains )
MORE: Sports video game power rankings in 2016
NBA Live Delayed Yet Again
After years of struggling to regain critical and commercial support EA Sports delayed the release of NBA Live 17, claiming the next console edition of the series will instead release in early 2017. The series is no stranger to delays and cancellations and many are skeptical about whether what they state will actually materialize. Instead for 2016, EA shifted focus to the new NBA Live Mobile which was fairly well-received. ( NBA Live faces uncertain future )
Independent Developers Filling the Gaps
Major publishers have moved away from niche sports and arcade-style games but independent studios have really begun to deliver on them in their place. 2016 brought about the likes of Casey Powell Lacrosse 16, 3on3 Freestyle, Infinite Air, 100ft Robot Golf, and the carryover of Rocket League into its second year. Several games have already been announced for 2017 including Super Mega Baseball 2, Old Time Hockey, Surf World Series, and Mutant Football League. (Reviews: Casey Powell Lacrosse 16 , Infinite Air , 100ft Robot Golf )
Post-Release Support Expanding Lifespan of Games
Annual sports games are providing more value than ever due to post-release support that keeps them relevant for an extended period of time. Besides just roster updates, they are now receiving consistent content updates for their team-building modes, patches that add new features and ways to play, additional uniforms, and even commentary updates throughout the season as was introduced by Madden NFL 17. Then there's the fantastic Rocket League which has remained incredibly popular well beyond the expiration date of most games by regularly adding free content and providing new gameplay experiences, and Forza Horizon 3 which recently released its first expansion. (Review: Blizzard Mountain expansion for FH3 )
An Exceptional Year for Racing Games
A resurgence was felt from the racing genre as the NASCAR license was acquired by Monster Games for release of NASCAR Heat Evolution. The developer had previously made the fondly-remembered NASCAR Heat and Dirt-to-Daytona games in the early 2000s. Additionally, phenomenal games like Forza Horizon 3, Dirt Rally, Assetto Corsa, and F1 2016 made it one of the best years in a long time for racing fans. (Review: Forza Horizon 3 )
NBA 2K Reacts to Stephen Curry
Steph Curry's 2015-16 regular season was so remarkable that the NBA 2K16 video game had no way to represent what he was doing. Developers had to consider how to reflect an ability to shoot contested 30+ foot shots that wouldn't be automatic misses and ruin the balance of the game. Later, NBA 2K17 would react to the changing landscape of the league, with new shooting attribute categories, higher shooting percentages, and a "dynamic duo" theme. ( Curry is changing the game for NBA 2K , NBA 2K17 review )
The 1992 Dream Team Returns in NBA 2K17
After first being introduced in 2012's NBA 2K13, the 1992 Dream Team was once again included in NBA 2K17 with all 12 players from the original roster. Additionally the game featured the 2016 Men's National Team. 2K Sports even released screenshots of the two squads that replicated the official team photos. ( NBA 2K17 recreates Olympic team photos )
2K Sports Sued Over Tattoos in NBA 2K
The question of who owns body art has been contested in courts over the years, and the conclusion is the tattoo artists must give permission for their work to appear in commercial areas. Because of that EA Sports no longer includes tattoos on athletes in games like Madden NFL and UFC unless the rights have been signed away by the tattoo artists. 2K Sports was hit by a massive lawsuit (part of it has since been dismissed) over tattoos that appeared in NBA 2K16 but no changes were made for 2K17 despite the ongoing litigation. ( Lawsuit filed over copyrighted tattoos on players in NBA 2K16 )
Historical Teams and Rosters in Out of the Park Baseball 17
Remarkably the latest in the long running sim-management series introduced complete historical minor leagues dating back to 1919. That meant over 100,000 real minor leaguers from the past were included in the game, including the likes of Michael Jordan, John Elway, Russell Wilson, Kurt Russell, and Randy "Macho Man" Poffo. ( Nine famous former minor league players found in OOTP 17 )
Electronic Arts Passes on E3 in Favor of Own Event
In recent years companies have started to show preference towards holding their own events - often fan-centric ones - over appearing at industry events reaching only media. EA joined that group in 2016 by pulling out of the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo in June and holding 'EA Play' at the same time both in-town and overseas. ( EA drops E3 in favor of fan-centric event )
FIFA 17 Introduces Its Own Story Mode
The success of story modes in other franchises led the world's biggest one to provide its own narrative-driven experience. 'The Journey' was received positively for being well written, acted and scored, and reflecting the ups and downs that might be expected early on in a promising career. It had drama and emotion that developed naturally and was especially effective because it was a more grounded experience than others have been. (Review: FIFA 17 )
Competiting Soccer Games Battle Over Licenses
The one sport that still has competition in video games is soccer, with both FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer continuing to wage war over licensing. FIFA holds the stronger position but PES was able to lay claim to an exclusive with FC Barcelona for their Camp Nou stadium and additional access for creating player likenesses. On the other side FIFA signed up Manchester United. Both games secured a number of these "premium partnerships" and this looks to be the trend going forward as they focus on specific clubs when the leagues are secured or out of reach. ( FC Barcelona dazzles in PES trailer )
2K Sports Holds Back Info on NBA 2K17 and Actively Antagonizes Community
It was an unusual build-up to the highly anticipated NBA 2K17 as 2K Sports avoided promoting the majority of details about the game until only two weeks before release. Fans of the series were agitated at the lack of info, and that was made worse by company reps on social media treating them with a level of contempt - actively teasing and taunting them for expressing such interest in the game. (Podcast: NBA 2K's antagonistic relationship with fans on social media )
The Prelude Offers an Early Start with NBA 2K17's Story Mode
2K Sports presented the opportunity to get an early jump start on the NBA 2K17 story with 'The Prelude' which went out a week before the game and for free. It was a smart way to hook people into the game by getting them invested in their player and getting to experience some cool moments in the collegiate portion of the career. ( Start playing NBA 2K17 a week before release with The Prelude )
NBA 2K Introduces More Colleges and All-Time Great Rosters
There were 10 licensed universities featured in NBA 2K17's Story Mode but consumers could also choose to buy them as "All-Time Great" teams to use in Play Now. Unfortunately, especially at a cost of $15, it was a disappointing offering. The rosters lacked some notable players and the likenesses were copied over from historic teams meaning they weren't even young versions of the individuals. ( NBA 2K17's all-time college rosters and why you probably don't want to buy )
Ill-Advised Social Media Post Falsely Teases NCAA Football Return
Dormant for nearly two years the EA Sports NCAA Football Facebook page was resurrected with a post coinciding with the College Football Playoff Championship Game back in January. Naturally, fans and media sprung to the assumption that perhaps the series - dead since being cancelled in 2013 - could be returning. Alas, it wasn't meant to be, as the company stated it just had to do with expressing excitement over the championship game. It was a bizarre incident that created a great deal of backlash as emotions still run high over the lost NCAA Football series. ( NCAA Football's Facebook page awakens )
Supreme Court Decision on College Sports Likeness Rights
The hope for a return of college sports video games took a hit in October with the Supreme Court deciding against hearing the O'Bannon v NCAA case. Because of this there is still no system in place to directly pay players for their likenesses. Without that, college sports video games are not a viable investment for a major video game publisher such as EA Sports, which has not only lost the ability to build rosters that resembled those of the real teams, but conferences and some universities were already pulling the plug on any involvement before they closed down development. ( College video games remain in limbo as Supreme Court passes on O'Bannon case )
Team-Building Modes Get More Consumer Friendly
The team-building modes in sports games act as a primary driver of revenue now, but developers are starting to see the advantage in making them more inviting to those who don't or can't shell out hundreds of dollars on digital card packs. EA Sports consistently releases promotions to earn packs, cards, and in-game currency by completing series of challenges, and MLB The Show introduced 'Inside Edge' which saw constant fluctuations of who would be the best players to use on a day-to-day basis as they reflected real-life performance and trends. ( Inside Edge helping to make Diamond Dynasty a mode for everyone )
MORE: Holiday gift guide for sports gamers
Post-Release Stumbles from MLB The Show 16
While one of the best games of 2016 - in fact it won the award for Sports Game of the Year from the Press Row Podcast - MLB The Show 16 faced some challenges after it released. Initially, in the two weeks that followed release, crippling server lag rendered the game unplayable in primetime hours. Then in June a significant number of accounts were falsely banned and, after a period of defiant denial, developer Sony San Diego finally relented and reinstated those affected. ( MLB 16 suffering from crippling server drag , W ave of bannings create more questions than answers )
Ken Griffey Jr. to Appear on Cover of MLB The Show 17
Baseball video games have never had the widespread appeal that sports like soccer, football, and basketball enjoy. They sell a fraction of what the games representing those sports do. However bringing on one of the greatest to ever play the game could break the sales ceiling and propel the series to heights previously unattainable. Griffey will appear as a legend in Diamond Dynasty and Franchise modes and a new 'Retro Mode' will debut to celebrate his involvement. ( Griffey Jr. named cover athlete , Play like it's the 90's with new Retro Mode )
Bryan Wiedey posts sports gaming news and analysis daily at Pastapadre.com, is co-founder of the sports gaming site HitThePass.com, hosts the "Press Row Podcast" and be reached on Twitter @Pastapadre .