Why is this man smiling?

After we shook off whatever fun was had on the last night before the first day of the rest of our lives (New Year's Eve, y'all), the gaming landscape seemed calm and without much to disturb the post-holiday slumber. The year started off with The Sims franchise dominating PC game sales. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City had a lock on the console charts, while Splinter Cell and Ghost Recon indicated the ongoing strength of Ubisoft's Tom Clancy franchises.

The year started with no real indication of the bombshells that would drop during the remaining 12 months. But drop they did: Paris-based Titus decided it had had enough of its Interplay brand and officially put the SoCal studio on the sales block (no takers thus far); Sega boss Peter Moore (pictured, above) decided he had had enough of Sega (or was it the other way around?) and took his high-energy, high-profile act on the road (Moore would eventually end up at Microsoft, reporting to Xbox czar Robbie Bach); and the Electronic Arts-Square marriage ended in divorce (nice try, kids).

I've had falling outs before, but this is ridiculous.

Speaking of divorces, we wonder how it went down with fans (and employees) of Westwood Studios when owner EA announced that it was shuttering the storied Las Vegas shop and relocating its remnants west to EA locations in Los Angeles and Redwood Shores? Not a lot of winners in Las Vegas that day...

But Q1 saw moments of exhilaration and contentment as well. Thank you Nintendo for releasing The Wind Waker. Thank you Yu Suzuki for everything (Yu-san was honored with Hall of Fame status at the DICE awards in Las Vegas, joining Carmack, Meier, and Miyamoto in its ranks). And thank you Sony for that 50 millionth PlayStation 2 console sold. It was a good idea in 2000, and it apparently still is.

January Titus looking to sell Interplay The CEO of Titus has revealed the French publisher's intention to sell Interplay. PlayStation 2 shipments top 50 million Sony announces that worldwide shipments of the PlayStation 2 console have surpassed 50 million units, broadening the electronics giant's lead over rivals Microsoft and Nintendo. Sega of America president steps down Japanese game giant Sega, amid a difficult turnaround, announced Friday that the head of the company's American operations has resigned. EA consolidates studios, closes Westwood The publisher reveals plans for a large new studio in Los Angeles, bringing together the Medal of Honor and C&C;: Generals teams, plus staff from Westwood's closing Las Vegas location.

February Hands-on: Nokia N-Gage Nokia showcases its N-Gage game deck and a handful of games at a press event in London. Battlefield developer signs deal with EA Digital Illusions signs a long-term publishing deal with EA, which has also purchased a stake in Battlefield 1942's developer. Dave Mirra sues Acclaim BMX star Dave Mirra files a lawsuit against the publisher of BMX XXX. Square-EA deal ends Square's relationship with Electronic Arts draws to a close, and the company will handle its own North American publishing following its upcoming merger with Enix.

March New Prince of Persia game announced Ubi Soft announces that there's a brand-new Prince of Persia game in development at its Montreal studio. Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance ships The PlayStation 2 version of Substance will be available in stores soon. FF X-2 launched in Japan GameSpot was on hand for the release of Square's new Final Fantasy game in Japan. Nintendo ships The Wind Waker Nintendo's long-awaited The Legend of Zelda game is now available in stores across North America.

Next: Year in Review - The Second Quarter >>