VGIM's Video Games Year in Review: Part 1, 04/12/2025
Switch 2 launch, Trump tariff mayhem, and Musk fails at games in the first half of 2025
We recap the biggest stories in games from January to June 2025
Controversial horror game Horses pops up on GOG
Metroid Prime 4 brings intergalactic bounty hunters to the Switch 2
Hello VGIM-ers,
It’s Anna here, sitting in for George while he recovers from spending a long weekend in Delhi.
Like all good VGIM writers, I’m ready to answer all the big questions at this time of year. Advent calendar? Opened. Festive cheer? Loading. Seasonal sickness? Spreading.
So to ease you into the festive period, I’m popping into your inbox to begin the annual VGIM Year in Review wrap-up series.
But before we dive into the gameswashing, tariff-raising, and AI controversies that shaped the first half of 2025, don’t forget to send in your reviews for VGIM Game of the Year.
If there’s something you played this year and want to share with our fantastic community, write 200-300 words about your top game of 2025 and pop them over to george@videogamesindustrymemo.com before Thursday 11th December.
We’ll feature the best in our final newsletter of the year.
The big read - VGIM’s Video Games Year in Review: Part 1
January - DOGE-ing Allegations
Starting strong: Amid an ominous start to the Trump presidency, filled with executive orders and federal defunding, Donald’s short-lived BFF Elon Musk lost what little street cred he had with the audience that truly matters: the gamerz.
Musk sucks (at games): The only occasionally Nazi-saluting tech baron admitted to paying users in Asia to boost his Path of Exile 2 account by playing on his behalf. Confessing over DM to YouTuber NikoWrex, the billionaire claimed he had nothing to apologise for. “It’s impossible to beat players in Asia if you don’t,” he bafflingly exclaimed when challenged on, erm, paying players in Asia to win games.
Beginner-friendly: It wasn’t Musk’s only foray into AI and Video Game controversies. Later in February, Musk called for AI-powered gaming companies to “make video games great again”, a story that is still developing at the time of writing. He also doubled down on his Path of Exile 2 embarrassment in April after failing to make it past the game’s tutorial boss during a livestream - much to the amusement of people everywhere.
Controlling controllers: Elsewhere in January, the EU banned the sale of video game hardware to Russia in an attempt to stop the Kremlin from using accessories like game controllers to power its war machine. Europe’s legislation was followed by a similar ban in the UK in May.
Switch 2-ing on: Oh, and January also saw a first look at a little-known console called the Nintendo Switch 2. I wonder how that got on?
Most read VGIM: How do you make a head of state care about video games policy?, 16/01/2025
February - AI’s Not Fair in Love and War
All’s not fair in love and AI war: In February, the creative industries tussled with the Government in the UK over potentially overly AI-friendly changes to copyright laws through the Make It Fair campaign.
Battle lines drawn: The campaign, which pushed lawmakers to protect copyrighted materials from scraping by large language models through an “opt-in” system, received backing from celebrities like Paul McCartney, the BBC, trade associations across the creative industries and friend of the newsletter Richard Osman.
Opt-oops: However, the games industry was conspicuously absent from the campaign due to internal bunfights over what generative AI means for the games biz. While game companies are wary about the likes of OpenAI scraping copyrighted content, other studios have trained their own LLMs privately using their own data. Fears that the campaign could overreach spiked efforts to get the industry involved, leaving it sitting on the sidelines.
Copywrongs: However, the industry’s determination to protect its IP still made the news. Pokémon won $15m in compensation from the blatant rip-off Pocket Monster: Remake, almost a decade after its release.
100 Aching Words: And in other news, multiplayer game Marvel: Rivals came under fire for censoring its text chat on the orders of the Chinese Government. NetEase Games, the Chinese company behind the development of the game, banned users from using phrases like “free Tibet”, “1989” (a reference to the massacre of Chinese citizens in Tiananmen Square) or “Uyghur camps”. Even “Winnie the Pooh” caught a stray, as Chinese censors clamped down on comparisons between the portly bear and the country’s definitely-not-at-all portly President.
Most read VGIM: Five video games newsletters worth reading, 06/02/2025
March - Scopelying out Pokémon
Gotta acquire ‘em all: The biggest headline in March was the acquisition of Niantic’s game division for $3.5 billion by Saudi-owned Scopely. The deal saw the company’s biggest game properties, such as Pokémon Go and Monster Hunter Now, folded into Scopely to sit underneath the Public Investment Fund-backed Savvy Games Group. Few were eager to welcome these new gaming overlords.
United Stakes: In other news, amid relentless firings, US and Canadian professionals teamed up with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) to form United Videogame Workers. The union opened its ranks to freelancers and laid off employees, and promised to “build worker power” and “fight for dignity and respect”.
Urban Dead on arrival: And finally, the predictably problematic effects of the UK’s controversial Online Safety Act came into force after lumping businesses with thousands of pages of rules to follow. Games such as Urban Dead shut down in response, telling players that it was unable to comply with the Act’s burdensome regulation. And as we’ll see in the second part of the year in review next week, the Online Safety Act would cause further problems for the games business over the course of the year.
Most read VGIM: The Best is History, 06/03/2025
April - Tariff-ying Business
Trading bloc-buster: In April, the Minecraft movie surprised the critics to smash the box office with a billion-dollar performance. Donald Trump, meanwhile, was busy smashing something else: the international trading environment that every game hardware manufacturer relies upon to exist.
Reciprocate this: In a move that stunned the world, Trump levied tariffs on every country in the world based on their level of trade with the US. A handful of countries escaped with a relatively small 10% baseline tariff. Most were tariffed up to their neck by Trump’s ‘reciprocal regime’, with China being slapped with a whopping 145% tariff as part of the President’s sabre-rattling.
Hardware times: Video game hardware makers (and the rest of the world, to be fair) were rocked by doubt in the wake of the trading crisis. Companies such as Nintendo, Microsoft, PlayStation and Razer all moved to increase the cost of devices or accessories, as key manufacturing bases like Cambodia, Vietnam, and the aforementioned China were whacked hard by the new rules.
Chickened out: However, Trump and his team pulled back from the worst of the measures after the US markets went into meltdown. As a result, the tariff regime did not entirely obliterate the console and PC games industries. It simply made buying either device a lot more expensive. Thanks, mate.
Not so Obscur: In other news, April was a great month for independent video game releases. Blue Prince puzzled players with its intricate mysteries while Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 earned widespread acclaim by turning just about everyone into a weeping mess.
MiSKellaneous players: And for those of you who liked their games to be a little less independent, SNK added Cristiano Ronaldo to its fighting game Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. Did they do so for creative reasons? Or was it because SNK is 97% owned by the MiSK Foundation, a not-for-profit owned by Cristiano Ronaldo’s mate Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman? We couldn’t possibly say.
Most read VGIM: Trump’s trade war hits video games, 10/04/2025
May 2025 - An Apple A Day Doesn’t Keep Judges Away
Epic Win: Wayyyyy back in 2021, Apple banned Fortnite from its App Store for bypassing its 30% commission on in-app purchases by using an alternative payment provider. In response, Epic Games lodged a lawsuit against the big Apple in California. In May 2025, the courts finally handed down a judgment that shook up App Stores across the world and paved the way for Fortnite to return to mobile.
In the steer: Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ordered Apple to let developers use third-party payment options and to allow users to be ‘steered’ away from the store. The judge also sought to stop Apple from using tactics like “scare screens” to stop consumers from exercising their rights elsewhere.
Not having it: In response to the Judge’s ruling, Apple appealed and tried to delay changes to how the App Store functions. But after Rogers threatened the company’s leadership with contempt of court proceedings, the company relented and agreed to open up its stores - ending its monopoly of iOS app stores in Europe and the US..
Rockstar’s taking it slow: In other news, Grand Theft Auto VI’s release date was delayed from 2025 to 2026. It was also revealed that the Russian state had seized the assets of Lesta Studios, the half of Wargaming which split from the business when it moved to the West, through a court in Moscow. Some might call such a move a Power Play.
Most read VGIM: Six more books that’ll help you understand video games, 15/05/2025
June 2025 - Merry Switchmas
Naughty or nice, it’s still the same price: Nintendo finally released its highly anticipated Switch 2. Dropping in at an initially doozy-inducing £395 ($449 in the US), it quickly became Nintendo’s fastest-selling console with 3.5 million sales in the first four days (ooh-ahh).
Empty stockings: The Switch 2’s success proved a little surprising due to its hefty cost, lack of killer new features, and surprisingly sparse first-party launch line-up that left players with little new to buy on launch day.
Iterate to accumulate: However, Keza MacDonald, games editor at The Guardian and author of the upcoming Super Nintendo, explained that Nintendo tends to alternate between “super-innovative consoles” and “more iterative ones” to suit the market’s needs.
Front of the grid: And with the Switch 2 launching eight years after the first device, the strength of its upgrade and the launch of family-friendly multiplayer hit Mario Kart World on launch day helped the console speed off the shelves.
Party on, Geoff: Meanwhile, over in Los Angeles, Summer Games Fest steamed onwards with a stacked lineup of game announcements. But the industry’s summer video game bonanza took place at the same time as protests swept through the city - leading to some fascinating on-the-ground reporting from VGIM’s own Tom Regan.
Most read VGIM: The Esports World Cup: serious tournament or soft power play?, 19/06/2025
News in brief
Slowed Horses: GOG has offered shelter to Santa Ragione Game Studio’s controversial arthouse horror Horses. In 2023, Valve refused to distribute the game on Steam, citing content issues in a statement last week. GOG, on the other hand, said they were “proud” to host the horror, stating: “We’ve always believed that players should be able to choose the experiences that speak to them.” Epic Games has also found itself in a twist over Horses, pulling it from sale on the basis that it should have an ‘Adult Only’ rating that would disqualify it from the store.
PIF’s in the game: Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is set to own 93% of Electronic Arts, according to the Wall Street Journal. Ben Dummett and Eliot Brown report that a filing in Brazil has revealed that the Saudi sovereign wealth fund is set to spend $29bn to gain almost total control over the EA Sports FC and Madden NFL creator. Jared Kushner’s Affinity Capital, meanwhile, is set to nab 1.1% of the business. Nice work if you can get it.
Won’t somebody please think of the children?: The game is afoot as the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) begins investigating 10 “popular mobile games” to inspect their child safeguarding efforts under its Age Appropriate Design Code. Although it hasn’t revealed which games are under review, the ICO claims it will examine how games protect the privacy of young players, how they utilise mechanics such as geolocation, and their targeted advertising policies.
Sweeney Tim’s Barbershop: Epic Games boss Tim Sweeney has waded into the AI disclosure debate. Responding to an X post about Steam’s “Made with AI” label, he wrote: “Why stop at AI use? We could have mandatory disclosures for what shampoo brand the developer uses.” Despite claiming the tag is relevant to ”art exhibits for authorship disclosure”, he said it “makes no sense for game stores”, anticipating widespread AI use. By contrast, Dan Houser, former Grand Theft Auto writer and co-founder of Rockstar Games, has spoken about his distaste for AI during interviews to promote his forthcoming novel.
GTA’s leaky wheel: A former Rockstar animator’s showreel, which included snippets of GTA VI, was spotted on Vimeo earlier this week - sparking feverish internet hype in the process. Clips showed a woman jumping off a truck and a man parking a “LomBike”. While not exactly spoiler-heavy, the leak provides a little tidbit of in-game content for fans desperate for news ahead of its 2026 release.
Moving on
David Grivel returns to Ubisoft as Game Director for the Splinter Cell remake… Holly Watson starts as Senior Operations Manager (Customer Service) at The Pokémon Company International… Over at Good Games Media, Vince Farquharson is getting settled in as Chief Games Officer… Rokky welcomes two new hires, Business Development Manager Zhang Shui Qi and Anastasia Dvoinishnikova, an Influencer Marketing Specialist…And Jason Avent ventures forth as Founder and Non-Executive Director for Six Peak Games…
Jobs ahoy
The New York Times is hiring a Head of Product, NYT Games…Gameloft needs a Senior Editorial Game Designer in its Paris HQ…Hasbro is seeking a VP Production to join its London office…Nvidia wants a clutch Director, Marketing - GeForce Esports and Competitive Gaming in the Bay Area…And Netflix needs a Director, Games Product Management, Member Experience in Los Gatos…
Events and conferences
The Game Awards, Los Angeles - 11th December
Pocket Gamer Connects, London - 19th-20th January 2026
DICE Summit, Las Vegas - 11th-13th February 2026
Guildford Games Festival, Guildford - 14th February 2026
devcom leadership summit, Lisbon - 24th-26th February 2026
Games of the week
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - Wield mysterious powers, explore an alien planet and traverse deadly deserts by motorbike as bounty hunter Samus Aran.
Octopath Traveller 0 - Embark on a quest for revenge or restoration after our hero’s peaceful town is destroyed in this RPG prequel (classic JRPG, amirite readers?)
Elden Ring Nightreign: The Forsaken Hollows - If Nightreign wasn’t difficult enough for you, this DLC introduces powerful new Nightlords to Limveld’s shadowy world.
Before you go…
Hollywood directors have a long-lasting love affair with video games. James Gunn wrote dialogue for Lollipop Chainsaw, Guillermo Del Toro co-directed a horror game, and Spike Lee penned some story for NBA 2K16.
Now, Quentin Tarantino has taken an unexpected swerve into the biz by bringing a long-lost scene from Kill Bill to life with the help of Epic Games.
The Lost Chapter: Yuki’s Revenge is a 10-minute lost scene from Tarantino’s 25-year-old that is currently only available as an in-game live event in Fortnite. The scene will then be screened in cinemas alongside Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair when it launches later this week.
I’ll be here, crossing my fingers for a Jane Campion x Roblox mini-game.
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