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 most significant and insightful features published on GamesIndustry.biz in 2025. From in-depth interviews with industry leaders to analysis of the year's biggest trends and events, we've got you covered. Our team spoke with the creators behind some of 2025's most notable games, including the minds behind Blue Prince and Dispatch, as well as François Meurisse from Sandfall Interactive and Matthew Handrahan from Kepler Interactive, who shared their thoughts on the benefits of maintaining small team sizes. We also explored how the success of certain titles impacted the plans of other studios, such as Necrosoft Games' decision to postpone the release of Demonschool to avoid competing with Hollow Knight: Silksong. Furthermore, we delved into the world of upcoming games, including Quantic Dream's unexpected foray into MMOs with Spellcasters Chronicles and Neon Giant's continued exploration of the cyberpunk genre with No Law. The GamesIndustry.biz team gathered reactions from industry leaders on major events like the shock buyout of EA, the rebranding of GDC, and the delay of GTA 6. We examined the implications of the UK's Online Safety Act on the gaming industry and looked into the shortage of Switch 2 development kits at launch. Additionally, we investigated the inner workings of Metacritic and the impact of Steam and itch.io's crackdown on adult content. BAFTA's executive director of awards and content shared the judging process for the BAFTA Games Awards, while two studios opened up about their experiences with layoffs. Unity provided insights into recovering from the Runtime Fee debacle, and the head of Godot discussed how the open-source engine has benefited from the episode. One of our most popular features of the year explored what went wrong with the To The Moon Expo, and we spoke with Santa Ragione co-founder Pietro Righi Riva about the potential consequences of Steam's ban on their game Horses. As the year came to a close, we reflected on whether the games industry will continue to grow or plateau, and in a two-part feature, analysts including former PlayStation head Shawn Layden examined the current state and potential future trajectory of the industry. We also asked the question on everyone's mind: where did all the money go? The trend of transmedia was a significant focus, with discussions on the success of A Minecraft Movie and its potential impact on future game adaptations. We looked at the emergence of VR natives, a new audience of young people who primarily play multiplayer games in VR. While the general advice is to avoid chasing gaming trends, Allan Smith shared his experience of successfully pivoting his game to capitalize on the Vampire Survivors trend. The move towards unionization in the games industry continued, with the IWGB union and ZA/UM sharing their efforts and successes. In terms of tech, we spoke with the teams behind Digiphile, Playnist, and Ubisoft's AI NPC concept Teammates. Publishing was also a key focus, with examinations of the pitfalls and opportunities of user-generated content and discussions with Devolver Digital and 11-Bit Studios about their shift towards smaller games. Throughout the year, company heads shared their insights with GamesIndustry.biz, including Playstack CEO Harvey Elliott, Build A Rocket Boy head Leslie Benzies, and ProbablyMonsters founder Harold Ryan. As we looked back on the year, several features examined the games industry's past and its preservation. Nightdive Studios CEO Stephen Kick shared his thoughts on Nintendo's introduction of Game-Key Cards for the Switch 2, and Digital Eclipse discussed the games they'd like to bring back. Peter Molyneux reflected on his abandoned 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 several thought-provoking features, including a discussion with Palestinian Voices in Games about empowering Palestinian game developers, an examination of the challenges of contract negotiations in the UK, and an interview with a dozen women about their experiences in the industry since Gamergate.