2025 has been a really up-and-down yr for video video games. HHW Gaming is right here to interrupt down the yr’s largest tales and share what sport is taking dwelling our Sport of the 12 months honor.
The yr is up, and there have been loads of pivotal moments (good and unhealthy) that went down within the gaming business, and naturally, there have been many video games performed this yr, so with out additional ado, like Skillz and Uncle Murda do yearly, let’s wrap up these moments.
Video Sport Gross sales Had been In The Rest room In November, Thanks To Trump Tariffs
2025 turned out to be one of many worst years on file for online game {hardware} gross sales in November.
That’s actually surprising, as November is normally when avid gamers do their most video game-related buying forward of the vacation season, because of Black Friday.
Sadly, that wasn’t the case with Circana’s Matt Piscatella, who reported it was the worst November for online game console greenback gross sales on file since 2005.
Based on the report, the massive three, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo, all felt the sting. Xbox console gross sales had been down an abysmal 70%, PlayStation 5 gross sales had been down 40% and the Nintendo Swap and Swap 2 gross sales dropped 10%.
Console Costs Jumped
The primary perpetrator, after all, is Donald Trump, and his blatant abuse of tariffs, plus different market situations. Xbox was the primary firm to lift the worth of its console.
The Xbox Collection S jumped to $400-$450, relying on the mannequin, pushing the worth of the lower-power console about the price of a base-model PS5.
The Xbox Collection X value, which has ballooned to $600-$800, which is hilarious as a result of the console now prices greater than a PS5 Professional.
Sony raised the worth of the PS5 by $50 in October as a result of Trump’s tariffs. Nonetheless, not like Xbox, it reduce $100 off the console in the course of the vacation buying season, which additionally doubtless helped it change into the best-selling console, even forward of the Nintendo Swap 2.
Talking of the Nintendo Swap 2, it didn’t see a value improve; it launched at $500, a lot greater than the unique Nintendo Swap’s $300 launch value.
Regardless of the upper value, the Swap 2 was nonetheless the fastest-selling console of all time.
Video games had been additionally affected, with titles like Name of Responsibility: Black Ops 7 seeing a double-digit share decline in full sport greenback gross sales in comparison with November 2024.
Yeah, 2025 was a tough one financially for the gaming business, and actually, 2026 isn’t wanting like it will likely be any higher, sadly.
Xbox Had One other Unhealthy 12 months
Xbox had one other unhealthy yr, however not less than we all know the corporate is all in on being a multiplatform firm.
Whereas that was an excellent enterprise choice for the corporate, it additionally had Xbox Collection X and Collection S house owners their consoles and questioning why the hell they personal them.
In 2025, we noticed Xbox lastly wave the white flag within the so-called console wars and start porting its beloved console exclusives, similar to Forza Horizon, Halo, Gears of Conflict, and Microsoft Flight Simulator, to the PS5.
That wasn’t the one unhealthy signal for the corporate; stories of Cotsco yanking the massive black field off the cabinets and not promoting started to flow into, main many to consider the entire “This Is An Xbox” marketing campaign, pushing the narrative that something that makes use of Xbox Sport Cross is now an Xbox, additionally led to the console’s poor exhibiting.
Microsoft’s ROG Xbox Ally & ROG Xbox Ally X Each Arrived
However it wasn’t all doom and gloom for the Microsoft-owned firm; they nonetheless had the brand new handheld gadgets they partnered with ASUS on, the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X.
Each gadgets bought effectively, and we had the chance to evaluation the ROG Xbox Ally, the cheaper of the 2, costing $599, which sacrifices some energy for affordability. We weren’t disenchanted with the expertise, however felt it nonetheless wants extra time to stay as much as its full potential.
In our evaluation, we wrote:
It has first rate battery life, a pleasant display screen (regardless that it’s not OLED), and the flexibility to leap proper into the Xbox app is a welcome function, together with a button that takes you to your library of video games from the Xbox, in addition to the opposite storefronts featured on the gadget.
We’re intrigued to see what Xbox has in retailer for 2026.
We Misplaced Two Giants In The Trade
In much more unhappy information, the gaming business misplaced two giants.
The gaming world was shocked to be taught in regards to the tragic passing of the co-creator of the Name of Responsibility: Trendy Warfare franchise, co-founder of Infinity Ward and Respawn Leisure, and the present head of the Battlefield, Vince Zampella.
Zampella and an unknown passenger perished in a automobile accident after shedding management of his Ferrari when popping out of a tunnel on California’s Angeles Crest Freeway. Zampella died on the scene, whereas the passenger handed away on the hospital.
The information of his passing despatched shockwaves via the gaming world, as everybody, from the businesses he labored for to the individuals he labored with, fondly remembered their interactions with Zampella over time.
We’re gonna miss you, Vince. Your legacy will stay on eternally via your contributions to the gaming business.
The identical will also be stated in regards to the legendary Tomonobu Itagaki, who handed away in October. Itagaki was greatest identified for bringing us the Useless or Alive preventing sport franchise and for reviving the Ninja Gaiden collection, which, mockingly, noticed two new entries this yr with Ninja Gaiden 4 and Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound.
Everybody from Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon to Tekken creator Katsuhiro Harada paid their respects to Itagaki.
RIP to each of them.
Generative AI Is The Rising Steriods Challenge For The Video Sport Trade
Synthetic intelligence or AI, because it’s generally referred to, is right here, and it’s not going wherever. The online game neighborhood resoundingly denounced studios’ use of generative AI to make their favourite titles. Nonetheless, it’s beginning to seem to be online game studios aren’t on the identical wavelength relating to the expertise.
As video video games change into larger and push the boundaries of the consoles they stay on, they’re additionally turning into dearer and taking longer to make, which understandably is one thing avid gamers hate to listen to. Simply have a look at how lengthy it takes to make a Grand Theft Auto sport.
Some studios have begun utilizing generative instruments to streamline workflows and, within the course of, reduce the event time of their titles by dealing with extra tedious work.
Whereas on paper, that feels like an excellent use of generative AI, some individuals are balking as a result of they really feel it’s taking away jobs from gifted sport builders and different artists within the business.
Now, in case you’re a studio that occurs to get caught utilizing it, you’re going to get referred to as out and, in some instances, stripped of accolades, paying homage to athletes who get caught utilizing steroids or different efficiency enhancement medication.
A Unhealthy Precedent?
One studio that f**** round and came upon was indie Sandfall Interactive, builders of what’s simply referred to as one of the best sport of the yr, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
The Indie Sport Awards (IGA) gave Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Debut Sport and Sport of the 12 months awards on Dec. 18, solely to announce two days later that it could be stripping the title of these accolades.
In an announcement on BlueSky, The Indie Sport Awards elaborated additional on its choice, citing its guidelines stating that video games “developed utilizing generative AI are strictly ineligible for nomination.”
Whereas they’ve the fitting to their choice to take again the awards, it is a slippery slope as a result of Sandafall Interactive isn’t the one studio utilizing generative AI; different legends within the sport like Hideo Kojima are seemingly embracing it by stating that it’s right here to remain and that “we will’t return.”
We positively agree and are intrigued to see how this may play out in 2026.
HHW Gaming’s Sport of The 12 months: Shinobi: Artwork of Vengeance
2025 turned out to be the yr of the ninja, and now we have no complaints relating to that. We picked up the sticks and handheld gaming gadgets for a bevy of titles that includes historical Japanese warriors, all of them good. Nonetheless, one sport stood out from the pack, and it’s none aside from Lizardcube’s tackle Sega’s iconic online game franchise Shinobi: Artwork of Vengeance, which has earned our annual sport of the yr honor.
In our preliminary evaluation of the sport, we wrote:
Shinobi: Artwork of Vengeance is an distinctive six-hour expertise from Lizardcube that’s an absolute pleasure to take a seat down and get misplaced in. For followers of Shinobi, that is the sport that you’ve got been eager for, and for many who have by no means performed a Shinobi sport earlier than, it will likely be the definitive expertise for them. It’s attractive, and we don’t use the phrase evenly. Joe Musashi has by no means seemed this good since 1993’s Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Grasp on the Sega Genesis console. The gameplay has no flaws, the motion is extremely satisfying, the controls are seamless, and the story rocks. You’d be hard-pressed to seek out one other $29.99 sport so well-developed outdoors of The Sport Kitchen’s Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound. Lizardcube snapped, understood the project, and has a STRONG contender for Sport of the 12 months with Shinobi: Artwork of Vengeance.
That continues to be the case; we felt strongly about this sport because the second we previewed it, and it didn’t allow us to down as soon as we bought our arms on the ultimate product.
Lizardcube put out a sport with few if any flaws, and that may be loved by gamers a number of occasions, and one of the best half, it solely prices $29.99.
Congrats to Lizardcube and Sega.
There have been different video games we loved this yr as effectively, or as you’d name them, honorable mentions.
You possibly can see them under.