GamesIndustry.biz's Top Features of 2025: A Year in Review

As the year draws to a close, we're taking a moment to reflect on some of the standout features published on GamesIndustry.biz in 2025. It's been an incredible year, with exclusive interviews, in-depth analysis, and insightful commentary on the biggest games and trends of the year. Below, we've curated a selection of highlights that are definitely worth revisiting. We spoke to the creators of some of 2025's biggest games, including the minds behind Blue Prince and Dispatch, as well as industry leaders like François Meurisse from Sandfall Interactive and Matthew Handrahan from Kepler Interactive, who shared their thoughts on the importance of keeping team sizes small. We also explored how the success of certain games has impacted studios' plans, such as Necrosoft Games' decision to delay Demonschool to avoid clashing with Hollow Knight: Silksong. Looking ahead to the future, we interviewed Quantic Dream about their surprising pivot into MMOs with Spellcasters Chronicles, and Neon Giant about their upcoming game No Law and their enduring love of cyberpunk. Our team gathered reactions from industry leaders on some of the year's most significant events, including the shock purchase of EA, the rebranding of GDC as a 'Festival of Gaming', the unexpected delay of GTA 6, and the impending acquisition of Warner Bros. by Netflix. We examined the shortage of Switch 2 development kits at launch and questioned the co-founder of Metacritic about how the site works. Jeremy Peel investigated the crackdown on adult content on Steam and itch.io, as well as the blocking of games and websites under the UK's new Online Safety Act. BAFTA's executive director of awards and content shared the judging process for the BAFTA Games Awards, while two studios discussed their experiences with layoffs. Unity provided insights into recovering from the Runtime Fee debacle, and the head of Godot explained how the open-source engine has benefited from the episode and continues to grow. One of our most-read features of the year explored what went wrong with the To The Moon Expo, and we interviewed Santa Ragione co-founder Pietro Righi Riva about the potential consequences of Steam's ban on their game Horses. As we look to the future, we asked whether the games industry will continue to grow or plateau, and in a comprehensive two-part feature, analysts including former PlayStation head Shawn Layden examined the current challenges and potential future trajectory of the industry. We also posed the question: where did all the money go? The trend of transmedia is currently dominating the gaming landscape, and we analyzed the success of A Minecraft Movie and its implications for future game adaptations. Thatgamecompany discussed their struggles to secure funding for a movie based on Sky: Children of the Light. We saw several small games achieve huge success on Steam, and Rick Lane examined how one such game, Schedule I, managed to find a massive audience. A new demographic is emerging in the form of VR natives, young people who primarily play multiplayer games in VR. While the general advice is to avoid chasing gaming trends, Allan Smith explained how he was able to capitalize on the Vampire Survivors trend by rapidly pivoting his in-progress game. The push towards unionization in the games industry continued in 2025, with the IWGB union and ZA/UM's successful formation of a union. In terms of technology, we spoke to the teams behind the new game bundle platform Digiphile, the 'Goodreads for games' app Playnist, and Ubisoft's AI NPC concept Teammates. We examined the opportunities and pitfalls of user-generated content and discussed Devolver Digital and 11-Bit Studios' shift towards focusing on smaller games. Several high-profile company heads shared their insights with GamesIndustry.biz in 2025, including Playstack CEO Harvey Elliott, Build A Rocket Boy head Leslie Benzies, and ProbablyMonsters founder Harold Ryan. We also looked at the past, present, and future of games preservation, with Nightdive Studios CEO Stephen Kick discussing the introduction of Game-Key Cards for the Switch 2. Digital Eclipse shared their hopes for bringing back classic games, including a Sega Saturn-based fighting game collection. Peter Molyneux reflected on his much-vaunted Kinect game Project Milo, and former Deep Silver head of communications Martin Wein explained why Yager's version of Dead Island 2 was canceled. Former SIE Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida shared his memories of the European launch of the PlayStation 30 years ago, and Alex Josef discussed his plans to resurrect Acclaim. Finally, we highlighted a trio of thought-provoking features, including Ignas Vieversys' conversation with Palestinian Voices in Games about empowering Palestinian game developers, and Vic Hood's interviews with a dozen women about their experiences in the industry since Gamergate.