DomsPlaying

Xbox revenue is down in Q2.

Overall: -9%
Content & Services: -5%
Hardware: -32%

Its broader More Personal Computing business unit even saw a 3% revenue decline, the only segment without growth, with gaming being a main reason mentioned in slides.

www.microsoft.com/en-us/Invest...

Call of Duty and Battlefield "struggled to stand out" over Christmas period, according to analyst Revenue from new releases grew 21.5% in December 2025, driven by major launches including Arc Raiders

Some quick thoughts on this:

BF > CoD in 2026 is more monumental than it sounds.

New release growth required Arc Raiders boost, i.e. a fresh breakout IP.

Total market revenue still lackluster. Even with Switch 2. Tangible impact from cost pressures.

www.gamesindustry.biz/call-of-duty...

And so, as anticipated, here come Ubisoft layoffs.

Sending my best to those impacted. Unfortunately, this is the beginning.

(Sorry for the bummer news.)

www.videogameschronicle.com/news/ubisoft...

Investors | Ubisoft Investor Center

Source:

www.ubisoft.com/en-us/compan...

Huge news out of Ubisoft today.

Accelerated cost reductions.

6 games canceled, inc Prince of Persia Sands of Time remake.

7 delays, with Black Flag remake reportedly among them.

I don't think it's a question of whether layoffs will happen; it's a matter of how many. Not good.

Marathon Releases March 5, 2026: New Trailer & More Collector’s Edition, English voice cast, and more revealed. Pre-orders available now.

Source:

www.bungie.net/7/en/News/Ar...

Not quite sure what took Bungie so long to announce Marathon is out on March 5th.

One of those games I really can't predict how it will sell. I'm cautious. An appealing price in that Helldivers II/ARC Raiders range. But can it overcome the art scandal & early impressions? 🤔

Nintendo’s share price has dropped 33% in the last five months in Japan | VGC Uncertainty over potential price increases may have contributed to the decline…

This sounds like a buying opportunity to me, more than anything.

Sure, uncertainty can spook investors. I believe the Switch 2 life cycle is going to be quite lucrative for Nintendo, especially with multiple movies in the works.

www.videogameschronicle.com/news/nintend...

Ah.

Some sort of surprise, indeed.

www.videogameschronicle.com/news/the-xbo...

Developer_Direct Returns January 22: Watch Fable, Forza Horizon 6, and Beast of Reincarnation Gameplay, Direct from the Studios - Xbox Wire We're kicking off 2026 with the fourth installment of Developer_Direct on January 22 – bringing you new gameplay and insights for Fable, Forza Horizon 6, and Beast of Reincarnation.

I was really hoping we'd see something from Clockwork Revolution during this year's direct, if it's still out in 2026.

(Is it possible there might be a surprise?)

That said, Playground carrying here 💪

news.xbox.com/en-us/2026/0...

Machine Games is reportedly working on Wolfenstein 3 and a ‘Rainbow Six Siege-style’ multiplayer title | VGC The Bethesda studio has previously expressed interest in a third Wolfenstein…

Wolfenstein 3? Let's gooo 👏

Multiplayer title? Hmm I dunno 🤔

www.videogameschronicle.com/news/machine...

Yo, 2026. Where's that Steam Deck 2 at?

🤔

(Main caveat being I'm currently playing KC: DII, and it very well might actually end up among my Top 10 when all is said and done.

What a year for releases. Props to everyone who shipped a game in 2025.)

Here are my 10 Honorable Mentions for Best Games of 2025 (Alphabetical Order):

And Roger
Ball x Pit
Blade Chimera
Doom: The Dark Ages
Dying Light: The Beast
Eternal Strands
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
Mario Kart World
Monster Hunter Wilds
My Friendly Neighborhood

Here are my Top 10 Favorite Games of 2025:

1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
2. Ghost of Yotei
3. Dispatch
4. Avowed
5. Hollow Knight: Silksong
6. Donkey Kong Bananza
7. Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
8. Hades 2
9. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
10. South of Midnight

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year. Be safe & well 🎉

Source:

www.gamesindustry.biz/gamesindustr...

I love GI Biz's annual Year in Numbers post!

For 2025, standouts include:

Spending +8% (above my target).
Total value nearing $200B.
Double digit PC gains.
BF6 out-performance.

Note this data is thru Nov.
Quite curious how BO7 is trending.

Will know the full story soon! 📈

Horrible, sad news. RIP.

www.videogameschronicle.com/news/battlef...

GTA 6 delayed again, AI impacts hardware, and Half-Life 3: Analyst predictions for 2026 | Year in Review Predictions for the year ahead, and judging the accuracy of the predictions we made last year.

Some of mine:

GTA VI hits Nov. Unsure if a popular opinion?
Mid to high single-digit global growth.
Still, notable layoffs & closures.
MS shutters 2 studios & cancels a big project.
Steam Deck 2 reveal. No HL3.
Switch 2 momentum continues as top seller.

www.gamesindustry.biz/gta-6-delaye...

Xbox is losing the console race by miles. It's part of Microsoft's big gaming pivot Sales of Microsoft's Xbox Series S and Series X are even behind the original Nintendo Switch, which launched in 2017.

A lot to digest in this piece, a great summation of where MS is, and is trying to go, in games.

What stands out to me, as always, is what a company doesn't say.

Here it's the lack of transparency on Xbox sales & profit targets.

We'll see how it goes.

www.cnbc.com/2025/12/21/x...

Games industry layoff figures were down slightly in 2025 – but it was still horrendous | Year in Review Although layoffs were down by around a third, studios in the US and Western Europe may have been hit by the trend for jobs moving to emerging markets

Hearing news this week around Naughty Dog's crunch & layoffs being "horrendous" in 2025 (even if improved from 2024) makes me double-down on giving kudos to all the devs that can even ship a game in this environment.

So: massive props. You are amazing.

www.gamesindustry.biz/games-indust...

I need to get thru the first dungeon then reassess. Something about the early linearity & lack of meaningful exploration is really putting me to sleep. Nearly literally.

(For context, I've played thru the original when it was remastered and liked it a lot, especially its general vibes and level design.

I haven't played a substantial amount of 2 or 3.)

Two of my early thoughts on Metroid Prime 4: Beyond would be as follows:

1. Miles Mackenzie is the homie. He's pretty damn funny & adds value to the game as an initial sidekick.

2. The first couple hours are boooring. I almost fell asleep last night while playing.

We'll see 🤷

Newzoo predicts global games market to reach $197bn in 2025, exceeding prior expectations Data firm suggests 7.5% revenue increase driven by "stronger-than-expected performance" on PC and mobile

Global games industry growth > 7% certainly beat my expectations too.

My estimate was flat-to-up slightly YoY, based on pricing challenges & market pressures.

For SW, Battlefield 6 stands out. Clair Obscur the big surprise. Switch 2 boosted HW to gains.

www.gamesindustry.biz/newzoo-predi...

Video Game Physical Software and Hardware Sales Just Had the Worst November in the U.S. Since 1995 - IGN Last month, November, was a shockingly terrible month for video game sales in the U.S. While we traditionally think of November as a huge sales month what with Black Friday and all, November 2025 was ...

Rough November report, including all HW declines & Switch 2 + Switch down vs Switch alone.

Xbox is in free fall.

It's almost as if raising prices amidst a tough consumer environment where demand is shaky enough isn't the path to sales. It's a dilemma.

www.ign.com/articles/vid...

7M units sold for Silksong, whew.

In addition, Team Cherry says there are millions more playing via Game Pass.

The team shared this as part of its 2025 recap & reveal of its upcoming Sea of Sorrow DLC.

Much-deserved & well worth the wait! Congrats 🍾

www.teamcherry.com.au/blog/holiday...

You know what, that's a solid point.

Marathon would be a good candidate for launch into PS Plus at the least, and even Game Pass in a perfect world (though I'd imagine it never would based on Sony's oversight).

Finished up Dispatch this week.

Effectively binged it like a show. And it was fantastic.

Sublime artwork. Exquisite animations. Excellent characters. Expert pacing.

Dialogue walks that fine line between cringe & hilarious, leaning towards the latter.

Highly recommended! 🦸‍♂️