March 2020has seen a lot of shake-ups regarding release dates, conventions, game delays, etc. over the past few months which would be a cause for concern. However, the spring season has had a great track record of success in the gaming industry for a while now so it’s no surprise that a lot of big games and gaming events are still happening. The PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One all have major games coming out within March and they are all listed below (for North America).
Although some major titles weredelayed out of Marchinto later parts of the year, there is still a strong showing of games with each of the aforementioned platforms getting a big exclusive title or two in the coming weeks. In addition to the list of games releasing in March, the biggest events in gaming happening during the month are also included.
March 3 (Tuesday) -Granblue Fantasy Versus(PS4)
March 5 (Thursday) -ibb & obb(Switch),Murder by Numbers(Switch)
March 6 (Friday) -Murder by Numbers(PC),Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX(Switch)
March 10 (Tueday) -Langrisser 1 & 2(PC, PS4, Switch)
March 11 (Wednesday) -Ori and the Will of the Wisps(PC, Xbox One)
March 13 (Friday) -Granblue Fantasy Versus(PC),My Hero: One’s Justice 2(PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One),Nioh 2(PS4),Borderlands 3(PC-Steam)
March 17 (Tuesday) -MLB The Show 20(PS4)
March 20 (Friday) -Animal Crossing: New Horizons(Switch),Doom Eternal(PC, PS4, Stadia, Xbox One),Doom 64(PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One)
March 23 (Monday) -Half-Life: Alyx(PC),The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 3(PC)
March 24 (Tuesday) -Bleeding Edge(PC, Xbox One)
March 27 (Friday) -One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4(PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One),Saints Row 4: Re-Elected(Switch)
March 31 (Tuesday) -Persona 5 Royal(PS4)
The Biggest Game and Events in March
There’s a lot of events currently slated for the month as well.Destiny2is launchingSeason of the Worthyon March 10 withTrials of Osirisbeing available on March 13.PAX East will end on March 1, Dan Houser’s last day at Rockstar is on March 11, and the annual Game Developers Conference will take place from March 16 to March 20. GDC is having its own problems with the biggest publishers in the industry choosing to forgo the event out of concern for thecoronavirus outbreak.
As previously stated, the four major platforms all have a major exclusive for them coming out in March.Microsoft has two first-party gamescoming out -Ori and the Will of the WispsandBleeding Edge.The former is a sequel to hit 2015 title,Ori and the Blind Forest,while the latter is a multiplayer game developed by Ninja Theory.
While both titles are also coming out for PC, that platform has its own huge exclusive from Valve,Half-Life: Alyx.Although it’s not the mythicalHalf-Life 3,it’s still sure to cause a frenzy when it comes out on the 23rd. As for whether or not its VR setting will put people off, only time will tell. Elsewhere for PC,Borderlands 3will finally release on Steam on the 13th when the controversial exclusive deal with Epic Games Store is finally up.
Nintendo has two big exclusives coming out for Switch in March, with a much bigger emphasis onAnimal Crossing: New Horizons.The game launches on the 20th and has already captured the hearts of many Nintendo fans. Nintendo also hasPokemon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DXwhich releases on the 6th. At the end of March, Atlus is closing the month off with a bang in the form ofPersona 5 Royal,a game which arguably outshines Sony’s other bigPS4 exclusivefor the month,MLB The Show 20.
March’s Delays
Many games have been delayed out of the months surrounding March likeCyberpunk 2077,which was originally going to be released in April but was delayed to September, andIron Man VR,which went from February to May. Within the month though, two blockbuster games that were initially slated to come out in March wereFinal Fantasy 7 RemakeandWatch Dogs Legionwhich were both delayed (FF7 Remakewas pushed into April whileWatch Dogs Legionwill likely come out either later this year or early next year).
On the flip side,Doom Eternalwas another game that was delayed but is finally coming out on the 20th. Its original release date was in November 2019, but now at leastfans from theDoomandAnimal Crossingcommunities can get together to celebrate March 20.
