Games
* Key Takeaways: * Obsidian’s Avowed is John Walker’s game of 2025 for its worldbuilding, companions, and lasting emotional impact. * Multiplayer extraction shooter Arc Raiders surprised Walker and earned second place despite initial reluctance to play online. * The year balanced big-budget standouts (Nintendo’s Donkey Kong Bananza) with breakout indies
Games
• Key Takeaways: * Game developers across studios named wildly different 2025 favourites, from chaotic co-op (Peak) to tightly written narrative experiments (Type Help). * The list highlights recurring trends: retro-arcade revivals (Parking Garage Rally Circuit), inventive storytelling (The Alters, The Roottrees are Dead) and polished roguelike design (Hades 2). * Several picks are
Games
* Key Takeaways: * Vince Zampella, co-creator of Call of Duty and founder of Respawn Entertainment, has died at 55. * Electronic Arts confirmed Zampella’s death on Dec. 23, 2025; local reports say a car crash on Angeles Crest Highway is involved. * The California Highway Patrol reported the vehicle left the roadway
Games
• Blue Prince won Game of the Year at the 2025 Indie Game Awards, according to Game Informer. • The Indie Game Awards highlighted independent development across multiple categories. • Blue Prince's win underscores growing mainstream recognition for indie titles. • Full category winners were published by Game Informer; readers should consult
Games
• Blue Prince tops Bloomberg’s year-end list and embodies 2025’s indie dominance. • Bloomberg notes: “Almost all of them are independently developed, which speaks to the state of the games industry.” • The list (Dec. 22, 2025) is subscriber-only, but its headline—indie studios driving quality releases—reflects a broader market
Games
* Key takeaways: * Vince Zampella, co-creator of Call of Duty and Respawn co-founder, has died in a Los Angeles car crash at age 55. * The crash involved a Ferrari that struck a concrete barrier, caught fire, and resulted in both occupants dying, the California Highway Patrol said. * Electronic Arts, which owns
Games
* Key Takeaways: * Hideo Kojima says playing Super Mario Bros. in college convinced him to join the games industry. * Kojima believes the game’s design made him feel video games could one day surpass movies. * He played Super Mario Bros. extensively, skipping classes to keep playing, but finds the simple side-scroller
Games
* Donkey Kong Bananza version 3.0.0 is rolling out now on Nintendo Switch 2. * Thai text support was added; in-game audio remains English. * New “Camera’s automatic tracking” toggle added to the Pause Menu Options. * Several unspecified fixes and gameplay improvements included in the release. What’s new in
Games
* Key Takeaways: * Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption was released on PS5 via the PlayStation Store and has quickly climbed the PSN most-played charts. * PS TimeTracker lists the 2010 classic among the top 20 most-played PSN titles (and top 10 when excluding free-to-play games). * Players are spending long sessions (average 1h
Games
* The Indie Game Awards (IGA) has rescinded Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s Game of the Year and Debut Game wins after confirming generative AI art was used. * IGA says Sandfall Interactive had affirmed no gen AI was used during nomination, a claim later contradicted by the studio. * The IGA has
Games
* Nintendo fans reacted strongly to a surprise Switch shadow drop of Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition. * Aspyr says that passionate fan response could influence bringing the full Tomb Raider Survivor trilogy to Nintendo platforms. * The studio added it "can't announce anything at the moment," leaving the possibility
Games
• Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor, Heretic + Hexen and Arc Raiders top Metacritic in 2025 with Metascores around the mid-80s. • 2025's shooter slate blended genres: indie roguelikes, remasters, VR and tactical sims all earned strong reviews. • Big franchises returned in force — Battlefield 6, Doom: The Dark Ages, Borderlands 4 and