Another year in the books. Looking back, 2014 was filled with both good and no-so-good headlines. Laughs were shared, tears were shed, and fun was had. So let's take a trip down memory lane and look at some of the biggest video game moments of 2014.
Flappy Bird pulled from app stores (February 2014)
Although Flappy Bird was released in 2013, it didn’t gain widespread popularity until early 2014. This side-scrolling mobile game was simple in design, but difficult in objective — to navigate a bird through a series of pipes by tapping the screen. After rising to the top of both the iTunes and Google Play stores, the game’s creator Dong Nguyen pulled the plug in mid-February. While the move seemed random at first, with Nguyen mysteriously tweeted “I cannot take this anymore,” he later went on to explain that the game’s “addictive nature” is what led to his decision. Flappy Bird did eventually return to the digital storefronts, but failed to regain the national attention it had earlier in the year.
Facebook purchases Oculus Rift for $2 billion (March 2014)
The Oculus Rift VR headset was to revolutionize the gaming industry. And then Facebook stepped in and purchased Oculus, the Rift’s maker, for a whopping $2 billion. While Oculus Rift may still be a perfectly capable gaming peripheral, Facebook founder mark Zuckerberg’s vision goes far beyond that.
"Imagine enjoying a court side seat at a game, studying in a classroom of students and teachers all over the world or consulting with a doctor face-to-face — just by putting on goggles in your home," Zuckerberg said at the time. "This is really a new communication platform. By feeling truly present, you can share unbounded spaces and experiences with the people in your life. Imagine sharing not just moments with your friends online, but entire experiences and adventures."
Microsoft removes “mandatory” Kinect from Xbox One bundle (April – June 2014)
Prior to the launch of the Xbox One, and even post-launch for that matter, Microsoft told gamers that the Kinect was an integral part of the Xbox One ecosystem. Without it, the system wouldn’t function properly. Pretty amazing how quickly things change once consumers start voting with their wallets.
After months of sluggish sales, Microsoft, under the new lead of Phil Spencer, announced a Kinect-free Xbox One for $399 — $100 cheaper than the launch bundle and the same price as the PS4. Sure, it screwed over early adopters, but Xbox One sales more than doubled in its first month of availability.
Lizard Squad first appears. Takes down PSN, Twitch, League of Legends, and more (August 2014)
In August, a group of “hackers” made headlines by launching a series of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on some of the industry’s biggest gaming companies. They started with Sony by taking down PlayStation Network, and eventually moved on to other networks and games including League of Legends, Twitch.tv, Battle.net, and Call of Duty. They didn’t stop with just games, though. The group took a liking to Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley, constantly harassing him online, and even going so far as to call in a bomb threat on a plane carrying him. There was no bomb on Smedley’s plane, but the threat did cause his flight to be diverted and delayed as security was forced to investigate the threat.
Microsoft buys Minecraft and developer Mojang for $2.5 billion (August 2014)
Thought Facebook spent a lot when they acquired Oculus Rift? In August, Microsoft reached an agreement to acquire Mojang and the company’s hit franchise, Minecraft, for a cool $2.5 billion. The Mojang team, sans Minecraft creator Markus ‘Notch’ Persson’, joined Microsoft Studios and, well, that’s about all she wrote. Minecraft is still going strong on just about all of the platforms it had previously been available on, and we’ve yet to see how Microsoft intends to capitalize on its big purchase.
Lizard Squad returns. Spoils Christmas (December 2014)
The same group that caused mayhem in August returned from their slumber to ruin Christmas for everyone. On December 25, Lizard Squad launched a massive DDoS attack on Sony and Microsoft taking down PlayStation Network and Xbox LIVE. While service was restored quite quickly to Xbox LIVE, things proved a bit more difficult for Sony which struggled for three days to get PSN back up and running.
#Gamergate (2014)
The most controversial of all of 2014’s big events, #Gamergate is defined, well, it’s not really clearly defined. To some, it’s a consumer movement calling for ethics among the video game press. To others, it’s a hate movement targeting women in the video game industry and an excuse to harass, doxx, or tweet inappropriate comments. It’s controversial, divisive, and, really, not unique to the gaming industry. Perhaps that’s also why so many outsiders, including hollywood celebrities, conservative activists, and other public figures chimed in on the conversation.
As you can see, 2014 was a pretty busy year and this list doesn't even include some of the smaller headlines like Amazon's acquisition of Twitch, the launch of EA's subscription gaming service for Xbox One, or the premiere of The Game Awards. Like I said, a busy year — but feel free to let me know what headlines stick out to you and, in your mind, define 2014.
