2024 crowns a new Barbenheimer: Dragon's Dogma 2 and Princess Peach Showtime launch on the same day, and I am so ready

Circle March 22, 2024 on your calendars, folks, because we have a certified Barbenheimer gaming moment coming up, with Dragon's Dogma 2 and Princess Peach: Showtime! set to launch on the same day.

We've known that would be the release date for the new Princess Peach game since back in September, and now Capcom has revealed that the Dragon's Dogma 2 release date will be the same day. When I first realized this during my daily reading of the '2024 in video games' page on Wikipedia, I was distraught that I'd have to split my playtime between two very different games that I'm very much looking forward to. But now I've realized that this is an opportunity.

Barbenheimer was the cinematic (and meme) icon of 2023, pairing a hyper-feminine pink icon with a perennial favorite of dudes who watch multi-hour YouTube video essays in their spare time. These are the exact vibes to match Princess Peach: Showtime! and Dragon's Dogma 2. I'm not afraid to say that I like both pink and multi-hour YouTube video essays, so March 22 is looking like a big day for me.

All I need is for the rest of the internet to come along on this journey with me. It's not a Barbenheimer without the memes, after all. I've gotten a decent chunk of the GamesRadar+ staff on board - guides writer Will Sawyer suggests we call the whole thing "Princess Pogma 2" - but I need the fan art, the cosplay, and the nonstop in-jokes.

We did actually get a pretty major gaming Barbenheimer back in 2020, years before Barbenheimer itself happened, when Doom Eternal and Animal Crossing: New Horizons launched on the same day. It was a delight that helped spark a little joy in the early days of the pandemic, and I can't help but want to relive it. The joy, that is, not the pandemic.

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