Best of Gaming — December 2025

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    Video
    Avatar of linuxexpThe Linux Experiment·23w

    EU keeps moving to Open Source, New Linux smartphone, KDE fundraising - Linux Weekly news

    France and Germany continue major migrations to open-source software, with French ministries moving hundreds of thousands of users to Nextcloud and Germany's Schleswig-Holstein saving €15 million annually by switching to LibreOffice. System76 released Cosmic desktop and Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS as a stable first version. KDE's fundraising exceeded €280,000, nearly doubling last year's total. A new Linux smartphone running Sailfish OS with Android app support reached crowdfunding goals. Critical infrastructure concerns emerged as libxml2 became unmaintained, and HDMI Forum continues blocking HDMI 2.1 support in open-source AMD drivers. D7VK 1.0 brings DirectX 7 translation to Vulkan for legacy gaming on Linux.

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    Article
    Avatar of gamesindustryGamesIndustry.biz·24w

    Open letter claims mobile gamedev is "ignored" because industry perceives it as a "world of predatory monetization and low quality"

    Midjiwan AB CEO Christian Lövstedt published an open letter criticizing the gaming industry for overlooking mobile games despite representing 55% of the global gaming market. He argues mobile gaming is dismissed due to perceptions of predatory monetization and low quality, pointing to award bodies like BAFTA and D.I.C.E. rarely recognizing mobile titles. Lövstedt contends that industry awards and media shape cultural narratives and calls for acknowledging mobile as the largest and most creative gaming platform.

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    Article
    Avatar of collectionsCollections·23w

    Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Wins Big at The Game Awards 2025

    Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won nine awards at The Game Awards 2025, including Game of the Year, after selling over 5 million copies. Developer Sandfall Interactive's CEO attributes success to embracing creative limitations, focusing on development over management expansion, and aligning game design with team talents rather than chasing player expectations. The turn-based RPG became the first French game to achieve such recognition and Metacritic's highest-rated game of all time.

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    Article
    Avatar of 80lv80 LEVEL·23w

    Steam: $16B+ in 2025, Nearly Half of 19,000 Games Got Under 10 Reviews

    Steam generated over $16.2 billion in revenue during the first eleven months of 2025, marking its strongest year ever. However, nearly half of the 19,000 games released on the platform received fewer than 10 reviews, indicating severe discoverability challenges. Only 6.2% of releases surpassed 500 reviews, a threshold for broader visibility. The data reveals a platform thriving commercially through a small number of successful titles while the majority of games struggle to gain traction, creating a difficult environment for smaller developers.

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    Article
    Avatar of 80lv80 LEVEL·23w

    Metacritic Reveals the 10 Worst Video Games of 2025

    Metacritic released its list of the 10 worst video games of 2025, with MindsEye from Build a Rocket Boy scoring lowest at 28 points based on critic reviews. However, user scores tell a different story, with Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 receiving the lowest player rating at 1.6/10, while familiar titles like EA Sports games and Football Manager 26 also ranked poorly. The significant discrepancy between critic and user scores highlights the divide between professional reviewers and actual players in evaluating game quality.

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    Article
    Avatar of 80lv80 LEVEL·24w

    Assassin's Creed Black Flag Remake is Now Confirmed by PEGI

    PEGI has officially listed Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, effectively confirming the long-rumored remake after over a year of leaks and indirect confirmations from Ubisoft employees. The game received a PEGI 18 rating, with concerns arising over the inclusion of in-game purchases not present in the original. An official announcement is expected at The Game Awards.

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    Video
    Avatar of youtubeYouTube·23w

    I’ve Had Enough of Windows - Switching to Linux

    A frustrated Windows user documents their switch to Linux Mint after growing tired of Windows 11's ads, forced updates, privacy concerns, and invasive features like Copilot. The author walks through installing Pop OS (which had issues) and then Linux Mint, testing hardware compatibility, gaming performance, and daily workflows. While they still need Windows for Adobe Premiere editing and certain anti-cheat-protected games, Linux Mint handles their primary tasks—browsing, writing, casual gaming—better than Windows. The experience highlights Linux's speed, cleanliness, and respect for user control, making it their new main OS despite keeping Windows for specific use cases.

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    Article
    Avatar of gamesindustryGamesIndustry.biz·25w

    Team Cherry says it's "unfortunate" that Silksong launch disrupted other indies

    Team Cherry acknowledged that Hollow Knight: Silksong's surprise release announcement disrupted other indie game launches. The studio revealed the release date only two weeks in advance, forcing competing developers to reschedule their games. The launch was so popular it temporarily crashed major digital storefronts including Steam, Nintendo eShop, Xbox, and PlayStation platforms. The developers admitted they had little control over timing, learning the date just weeks before announcement while rushing to complete the game after years of fan anticipation.

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    Article
    Avatar of 80lv80 LEVEL·22w

    GTA in Tokyo "Almost Actually Happened"

    A former Rockstar technical director revealed that a GTA game set in Tokyo nearly happened but would have been developed by an external Japanese studio using Rockstar's code. The project never materialized, and the developer explains that as GTA budgets have grown into the billions and development cycles stretch to 12 years, the studio is unlikely to take risks on non-American settings. Other considered locations included Rio de Janeiro, Moscow, Istanbul, and Bogota, but financial stakes make familiar American cities the safer choice.

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    Article
    Avatar of gamedeveloperGame Developer·22w

    Backlash over Larian CEO's AI comments is a leadership problem

    Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke faced backlash after describing the company's use of generative AI for tasks like placeholder text, reference images, and QA automation. The controversy stems not just from AI ethics concerns, but from power dynamics where employees feel pressured to adopt tools they oppose. Former employees confirmed internal pushback exists despite Vincke's claims workers are "more or less OK" with it. The situation highlights broader industry tensions where leadership mandates AI adoption while workers face difficult choices between compliance and job security, especially given Larian's demanding hiring process requiring international relocation and extensive unpaid tests.

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