This Week in Videogames
thisweekinvideogames.com
This Week in Videogames
@thisweekinvideogames.com
No ads. No AI. Just videogame coverage that matters.
Pinned
When Football Manager 26 launched after a year-long delay, players immediately noticed its unpolished frontend UI and confusing design.

Now, it sits alongside Civilization 7 as another catastrophic example of user experience (UX) gone wrong in 2025.

So, we asked an expert: How could this happen?
Football Manager 26 and When User Experience Goes Wrong
At launch, Football Manager 26 players discovered the UX was only just warming up. We asked an expert: why do devs leave UX until extra time?
thisweekinvideogames.com
Among Us x Stardew Valley! Terraria x Don’t Starve Together! Balatro x Literally Every Other Game!

You might've noticed more and more indie game collaborations popping up, and wondering how and why they came to be.

Well wonder no more! Innersloth's @victoriatran.bsky.social explains:

[PAYWALLED]
What's With All the Indie Game Crossover Collaborations? - Indie Insight
Ever wonder why there seem to be so many indie crossover collaborations? Innersloth's Victoria Tran shares some of the rationale.
thisweekinvideogames.com
November 24, 2025 at 8:09 AM
Reposted by This Week in Videogames
Why is Hollywood suddenly so obsessed with mining videogames for ideas, and more importantly, making sure they get it right?

We get some industry perspectives, including BAFTA Award-winning actress of film, TV, and games Jane Perry (Hitman, Returnal)
Videogames Are a “Natural Goldmine” in Film Industry’s Hunt for the Next Great IP
"What we're seeing in games now are really sophisticated narrative designs," says actress Jane Perry. "The same ingredients that would make a great film or TV series."
thisweekinvideogames.com
November 22, 2025 at 1:00 PM
IO Interactive's CEO thinks the developer has gotten the "single-player live-service" formula right.

"World of Assassination is an example showing that everything doesn’t have to be on steroids and crazy."

He also claims that the success of Hitman completely funded development of 007 First Light.
IO Interactive CEO Says "We're Onto Something With Single Player Game-as-a-Service"
IO Interactive has spoken about the success of Hitman World of Assassination's service model, saying it's a safer bet than multiplayer games.
thisweekinvideogames.com
November 23, 2025 at 6:00 AM
Valve has reiterated that it expects the Steam Machine to cost about as much as a PC made of equivalent hardware.

"Right now is just a hard time to have a really good idea of what the price is going to be because there’s a lot of different things that are fluctuating.”
Steam Machine Price Will Be Close to PC of Similar Performance, Says Valve
Valve has spoken about its approach to the Steam Machine's price point, saying it expects a cost equivalent to the PC components inside it.
thisweekinvideogames.com
November 22, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Why is Hollywood suddenly so obsessed with mining videogames for ideas, and more importantly, making sure they get it right?

We get some industry perspectives, including BAFTA Award-winning actress of film, TV, and games Jane Perry (Hitman, Returnal)
Videogames Are a “Natural Goldmine” in Film Industry’s Hunt for the Next Great IP
"What we're seeing in games now are really sophisticated narrative designs," says actress Jane Perry. "The same ingredients that would make a great film or TV series."
thisweekinvideogames.com
November 22, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Valve says it's working on anti-cheat compatibility issues for online games on SteamOS.

A Valve developer remarked that the company has opened up its platform APIs for developers to work with.

They caveated that "game developers will have to decide at their own rhythm" to build support, however.
Valve Addresses Steam Machine Anti-Cheat Concerns, Says It's Working Towards Support
Developers and publishers will have to "decide at their own rhythm" if they want to make their games compatible with SteamOS and the Steam Machine.
thisweekinvideogames.com
November 22, 2025 at 2:00 AM
Valve has quashed the idea that a new Valve-developed game might ship with the Steam Machine.

A Valve developer was asked: “Is there any chance at all that the Steam Machine comes pre-installed with a brand new Valve game?”

The response was simply: “No.”
Valve Says No Chance Of New Game Bundled With Steam Machine
A Valve developer has shot down the possibility of the company's new Steam Machine being bundled with a new Valve game like Half-Life 3.
thisweekinvideogames.com
November 21, 2025 at 11:02 PM
Ubisoft's CEO has remarked that generative AI is “as big a revolution for our industry as the shift to 3D."

He promised "high-value use cases that bring tangible benefits to our players."

Players of Ubisoft's Anno 117 recently called out an in-game genAI image. The developer said it was a mistake.
Ubisoft CEO Calls Generative AI "As Big a Revolution" As 3D in Games
Yves Guillemot said Ubisoft is actively working on player-facing generative AI applications, such as NPCs that use AI to respond.
thisweekinvideogames.com
November 21, 2025 at 9:12 PM
A new document has entered the lawsuit between Korean publisher Krafton and the co-founders of developer Unknown Worlds.

Titled "Litigation Help" and originating from the co-founders, its contents describe Korea as "The Joe Pesci of countries... charming until they’re incredible [sic] nasty."
New Document in Krafton, Unknown Worlds Trial Calls Korea "The Joe Pesci of Countries"
Unknown Worlds co-founder Charlie Cleveland claims that "These are all transcriptions… So it has nothing to do with my opinions at all."
thisweekinvideogames.com
November 21, 2025 at 5:00 AM
Over 60% of US-based videogame workers support unionisation in the industry, according to GDC’s 2025 Game Industry Salary Report.

56% of respondents stated that they are not currently in a union, but are interested in joining one.
Over 60% of US Game Workers Support Unionisation, Says GDC Report
GDC's 2025 Game Industry Salary Report found that over half of US game workers are interested in joining a union.
thisweekinvideogames.com
November 21, 2025 at 3:08 AM
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been awarded Game of the Year at the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards.

It took home six trophies in total, the most out of any individual title. Sandfall Interactive also received an award for Studio of the Year.

The Golden Joysticks are largely decided by public vote.
Golden Joystick Awards 2025 – All The Winners and Finalists
The RPG from Sandfall Interactive took home six trophies at the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards, which are decided by public vote.
thisweekinvideogames.com
November 21, 2025 at 1:31 AM
Xbox's Partner Preview showcase featured a total of 16 games from third-party developers.

Among them was a new title from Vampire Survivors developer Poncle, called: "Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors."

Here's a concise rundown of all the announcements and trailers:
Xbox Partner Preview - All Announcements and Trailers
Microsoft broadcast a 30-minute Xbox Partner Preview in November, focused on third-party games.
thisweekinvideogames.com
November 20, 2025 at 11:42 PM
Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick has shared comments saying he believes the industry is "moving towards PC," and "towards open rather than closed."

He also suggests that the idea of consoles, "the notion of a very rich game... that you play on a big screen — that’s never going away.”
Take-Two CEO Says Industry "Moving Towards PC," But Consoles "Never Going Away"
Grand Theft Auto VI is currently only set to launch on consoles, which Zelnick still says are "never going away"
thisweekinvideogames.com
November 20, 2025 at 6:35 AM
Unity has announced a partnership with Epic Games, allowing devs using Unity to publish their games in Fortnite‘s ecosystem.

"Just like the early days of the web, we believe that companies need to work together to build open and interoperable systems,” said Epic CEO Tim Sweeney.
Unity and Epic Games Announce Partnership Bringing Unity Titles to Fortnite
At the Unite conference, it was announced that Unity and Epic Games would be working together to publish Unity-developed titles into Fortnite
thisweekinvideogames.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:31 AM
Alberto Mielgo, the Oscar-winning director who led production of the cinematic reveal trailer for Marathon, has addressed accusations of AI use.

"I can’t believe we’ve reached a point where I have to clarify this... everything you see... 155 incredible people and hell of hours, days, months…"
Marathon Cinematic Short Was "Not AI" Says Director
Alberto Mielgo took to Instagram to defend the short, saying it took "155 incredible people" and a "hell of hours, days, months"
thisweekinvideogames.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:31 AM
Bungie has settled a lawsuit with a writer who alleged the studio had copied aspects of his writing in Destiny 2's launch campaign.

Bungie tried to have the case dismissed, but ran into issues providing evidence as the content in question had been “vaulted” and couldn’t be replicated for the court.
Bungie Settles Copyright Lawsuit With Writer Over Alleged Destiny 2 Infringements
Bungie has settled a lawsuit with sci-fi writer Matthew Kelsey Martineau, who alleged the developer copied aspects of his work in Destiny 2
thisweekinvideogames.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:29 AM
Avalanche has now confirmed that 31 people have been affected by the studio closure and layoffs.

avalanchestudios.com/stories/upda...
Following the cancellation of its open-world game Contraband, Avalanche has flagged plans to close its UK-based studio and make further layoffs at its Swedish branches.

It's the latest occurrence in the wake of Microsoft's July layoffs and cancellations.
Just Cause Developer Avalanche to Close UK Studio, Make Layoffs
After cancelling its Xbox-exclusive title Contraband, Avalanche will close its Liverpool studio and begin layoffs at its Swedish studios.
thisweekinvideogames.com
November 19, 2025 at 11:51 PM
We also spoke to Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined producer Takeshi Ichikawa who, among other things, stated plainly that: "We haven't used any AI in developing this game."
With Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined, Square Enix turns up the dial on "quality of life" features that let you dictate just how quickly you can blitz through its traditional RPG trappings. [Preview + Interview]

thisweekinvideogames.com/feature/drag...
Speedrunning Nostalgia in Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined
The remake of yet another RPG once out of reach for several regions unintentionally brings back a retro experience of a very specific kind.
thisweekinvideogames.com
November 19, 2025 at 10:32 PM
With Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined, Square Enix turns up the dial on "quality of life" features that let you dictate just how quickly you can blitz through its traditional RPG trappings. [Preview + Interview]

thisweekinvideogames.com/feature/drag...
Speedrunning Nostalgia in Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined
The remake of yet another RPG once out of reach for several regions unintentionally brings back a retro experience of a very specific kind.
thisweekinvideogames.com
November 19, 2025 at 10:26 PM
The CEO of Helldivers 2 studio Arrowhead has shared his views on AI in game development.

He remarked that the debate often "ends up being on both ends of the spectrum... maybe, could it be that reality is somewhere in the middle?”

He spoke of its benefits in production, but also of IP protections.
Helldivers 2 Studio CEO Posits Middle Ground on AI Debate
The CEO of Helldivers 2 studio Arrowhead spoke about AI use in Arc Raiders, saying it's "a pretty interesting use case that makes gaming better."
thisweekinvideogames.com
November 19, 2025 at 6:53 AM
New developments in the legal dispute between Krafton and co-founders of Subnautica 2 studio Unknown Worlds:

A filing accuses Krafton's CEO of organising a "special task force" to execute a takeover.

He was also accused of asking ChatGPT to “help him brainstorm ways to avoid paying the earnout.”
Krafton CEO Allegedly Used ChatGPT to "Brainstorm Ways to Avoid Paying the Earnout" to Unknown Worlds Co-Founders
A new document in the lawsuit between Krafton and the Unknown World co-founders has accused Krafton of assembling a "special task force" to "take over" the subsidiary
thisweekinvideogames.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:45 AM
'Megabonk' developer vedinad has withdrawn their nomination for 'Best Debut Indie Game' at The Game Awards, suggesting the game doesn't technically qualify.

"I've made games in the past under different studio names, so Megabonk is not my debut game," they said.

x.com/MegabonkGame...
November 19, 2025 at 2:15 AM
Xbox President Sarah Bond has reiterated the company's stance on consoles in a new interview with Fortune: "Hardware is absolutely core to everything that we do."

She also suggested that “younger people play more across devices and are less likely to associate themselves with a single device."
Xbox President Reiterates "Hardware is Absolutely Core" to Xbox
Xbox President Sarah Bond has reiterated the platform's commitment to a next-generation console, saying "hardware is absolutely core."
thisweekinvideogames.com
November 19, 2025 at 1:37 AM
Less than six months after Riot Games cancelled Hytale and shut down developer Hypixel Studios, its co-founder has reacquired the IP and promised 10 years of development.

Hytale, which has already been in development for 10 years, is a standalone title based on the popular Hypixel Minecraft server.
Hypixel Studios Reacquires Hytale From Riot Games Following Cancellation
The co-founder of Hypixel Studios has reacquired Hytale from Riot Games, with 30 developers already rehired.
thisweekinvideogames.com
November 18, 2025 at 11:32 PM
Finalists for The Game Awards 2025 have been announced, with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leading in nominations.

Death Stranding 2 and Ghost of Yōtei follow behind, along with Hades II and Hollow Knight: Silksong.

thisweekinvideogames.com/news/the-gam...
The Game Awards 2025 - All The Nominations
Clair Obscur leads the finalist nominations with 12 nods, while PlayStation titles Death Stranding 2 and Ghost of Yōtei follow behind.
thisweekinvideogames.com
November 18, 2025 at 7:31 AM