Longer wait for GTA 6, Nintendo Switch 2 selling like hotcakes – here’s 2025 video games news round-up

KUALA LUMPUR: As we head into the final week of 2025, we look back at the biggest video game stories that defined the year.

Grand Theft Auto 6 delayed

Surprise, surprise – a major 2026 release has been delayed.

Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto 6 has been pushed back from its original May 2026 release to a new November 2026 window.

The company has also come under scrutiny following reports of internal investigations over the firing of staff involved in union formation. Union busting is prohibited under European law, and more than 200 Rockstar employees reportedly signed a letter demanding the reinstatement of those affected.

Massive demand for new Nintendo console

The Nintendo Switch 2 was launched in Asia in July 2025 and demand was immediate.

Nintendo sold 3.5 million units worldwide within four days of launch, making it the fastest-selling console in the company’s history, despite higher overall costs for the console, games and peripherals.

Steam Machine announced

Valve made a surprise presentation this November, unveiling its upcoming Steam Machine console.

The six-inch, cube-like device is designed to play users’ existing Steam libraries on their televisions. It is estimated to cost US$700 and is scheduled to go on sale in 2026.

The mini-PC targets current Steam users seeking a living-room gaming setup without building a full rig or committing to another ecosystem.

End of Monolith Productions

After 31 years, Monolith Productions has shut down.

The studio was best known for titles such as Blood, the No One Lives Forever series, the Condemned series, and the Middle-earth: Shadow action-adventure games.

Check out our tribute video celebrating the company’s contributions.

Metronomik making music

Malaysian game developer Metronomik announced No Straight Roads 2, a sequel to its award-winning 2020 music-driven action title.

The game picked up several awards at the SEA Game Awards 2025 during Level Up KL 2025. The developer also revealed during a special panel at Comic Fiesta 2025 that VTuber Liliana Vampaia has been cast as one of the game’s antagonists.

Gamescom Asia x Thai Game Show 2025

Rather than hosting another year-end game expo in Singapore – often criticised for high costs for visitors – Gamescom Asia and the Thailand Game Show joined forces for a major event in Thailand.

The four-day expo attracted more than 206,000 visitors from around the world.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 sweep

Sandfall Interactive’s role-playing game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 emerged as one of 2025’s biggest critical successes.

Released in April, the French-made RPG dominated online discussions and went on to win nine awards at The Game Awards 2025, including Best Game and Best Indie title.

However, it also generated controversy after the developers admitted to using generative AI in parts of its development process.

AI in game-making debate reignited

Embark Studios released Arc Raiders, a first-person shooter that sold eight million copies and outperformed this year’s Call of Duty entry in fan reception.

The game sparked debate after it was revealed that artificial intelligence was used for text-to-speech voice lines. Embark stated that contributing voice actors were compensated and that AI was used only to assist content creation.

Larian Studios, developer of Baldur’s Gate 3, also confirmed it uses AI and machine-learning tools to support development on upcoming titles such as Divinity, but stressed that no AI-generated content will appear in the final game.

Following online criticism, Larian chief executive officer Swen Vincke said on X: “I was asked explicitly about concept art and our use of Gen AI. I answered that we use it to explore things. I didn’t say we use it to develop concept art. The artists do that. And they are indeed world class artists.”

Anime horse girl racing fever

Cygames released the English and global version of its hit simulation game Umamusume: Pretty Derby.

The title already has a strong Southeast Asian following, with Malaysian fans celebrating Merdeka Day and events held at the Selangor Turf Club.

Fans worldwide also made headlines by paying tribute to the late racehorse Haru Urara and raising more than US$600,000 for real-life horse Meisho Doto.

Release of Hollow Knight: Silksong

After years of anticipation, Australian developer Team Cherry finally released Hollow Knight: Silksong.

The lengthy development was attributed to the studio’s small team and its commitment to quality. The wait proved worthwhile, with demand so high that online game stores crashed upon release.

It took four hours before purchases on Steam stabilised.

Tribute to those who have passed on

Amid the year’s major announcements came moments of loss.

Several influential figures from the video game industry passed away in 2025, including:

Rest in peace, and thank you for your immense contributions to video game culture and history.