It is a dangerous thought to foretell a yr’s value of Videogame Happenings if you are delirious with chilly, however one of many benefits of being delirious with chilly is that you simply change into incapable of noticing that concepts are dangerous. Within the transient interval earlier than I eat a bowl of cakemix and go to sleep, listed here are some fast opinions in regards to the Tendencies and Tribulations of 2026, principally primarily based on our reporting from 2025. The evergreen brief model: it is by no means too late to get again into novice dentistry.
Rockstar vs the unions
Goaded by years of consolidation, squeezed sources, mass layoffs and closures, sport builders proceed to be eager on forming unions. The authorized battle between Rockstar and round 30 unionised former GTA 6 builders will push the topic additional into the general public eye, and discover how working circumstances and the tradition of Rockstar inform what’s by far essentially the most anticipated videogame of the yr. Assuming it is not delayed once more to e.g. spite Ubisoft after they strategically shunt their rumoured new Far Cry sport into 2027. I am hoping to see each some intriguing revelations about Rockstar, and a variety of important evaluation that dips beneath the routine sloganeering to make this topic fascinating to a bigger swathe of individuals.
Furore over Saudi Arabia’s buy of EA
Assuming it will get previous the regulators – and it is unlikely to fail, with Jared Kushner’s liquefying babyface on the ticket – the proposed $55 billion acquisition of EA will go away certainly one of North America’s oldest publishing operations wildly in debt and operated by a consortium dominated by the funding wing of a rustic that has journalists executed. The deal is because of shut within the first quarter of 2027, and might be topic to a lot scrutiny this yr – sure US senators and unions are calling for a federal investigation.
It is possible the accompanying $20 billion debt will result in intensive reductions throughout EA, with cherished albeit struggling studios like BioWare going through an unsure future. It additionally stays to be seen whether or not the politics of the Saudi Arabian regime might be felt in subsequent EA video games, maybe particularly The Sims. As with suspicion of Chinese language studios, we are able to anticipate some jingoistic reactions amongst pundits within the western Anglophone world: the aforesaid letter from US senators already smacks of hypocrisy in accusing Saudi Arabia’s rulers of utilizing EA as a propaganda platform – by no means thoughts that American firms like Activision have spent years peddling celebrations of the US army to folks abroad. Distinguishing the reliable criticisms from the reaction-fire might be an necessary part of this story. Typically, that is going to be a yr for speaking in regards to the connections between massive videogame publishers and Saudi Arabia, a rustic trying to diversify its oil financial system and enhance its fame overseas.
A more healthy dialog about “grownup” video games
Whereas the cost processor crackdown on “NSFW”, “grownup” and/or sexually themed video games continues, one consequence has been a resurgent, more healthy dialog about portrayals of intercourse in video games. Compelled by the specter of delisting, sport builders and gamers have been obliged to reckon with sure habits about what is taken into account ‘acceptable’, whereas turning into extra aware of how ethical panics work, and of how sure teams might implement their views by working the triggers of notionally ‘impartial’ monetary methods. I’ve discovered the quantity of debate round, say, Horses (which is not a direct sufferer of the crackdown) inspiring, nevertheless irritating at instances. A lot injury is finished when folks refuse to speak about intercourse and fall again routinely on an unstated false consensus.
Xbox to proceed circling the drain
As cheery RPS fanzine PCGamer just lately listicled, Microsoft have had a disgraceful yr. They’ve minimize jobs, closed studios and cancelled tasks whereas saying report earnings. They’re forcing generative AI uptake by means of their current management of PC working methods – the precept beneficiaries of this fait accompli might be buyers and the chief class, and even should you suppose there are good outcomes to comply with for the scruffers down in Sector 7G, you must take subject with the smug and condescending means the instruments are being imposed by an organization that has purchased up a lot of its competitors. Microsoft are additionally an outfit with their palms dipped in blood: they proceed to work with the Israeli army in the course of the latter’s conquest of Gaza, regardless of important divestments forward of a current and extremely theoretical ceasefire, and have many different army partnerships that deserve wider consideration.
Talking as a former Official Xbox Journal author, I feel Xbox itself is all washed up. The enterprise hardly ever produces any genuinely fascinating work, regardless of the efforts of weirder outfits like Double Positive. It is hamstrung by Best Hits considering – positive, why not remake Halo once more – and centered on subscription progress and monetising the fruits of some gigantic acquisitions. It’s as huge as it’s boring. Maybe quixotically, I anticipate 2026 to be a yr during which extra builders and gamers attempt to transfer away from Microsoft Gaming and Xbox, whether or not by becoming a member of the BDS boycott or stepping into Linux or discovering different locations to promote their video games. Given how pervasive Microsoft’s applied sciences are, this might be fairly the journey.
Hopefully, the tip of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
We at the moment are nearly 4 years into the deadliest battle on European soil for the reason that Second World Conflict, a Russian invasion preceded by years of false flag operations and imperial rhetoric. I want I might predict that the battle will finish this yr with Russia retreating to its borders and giving up on its ‘historic’ declare to Ukraine’s territory. This does not appear possible, given the details on the bottom and the Trump administration’s need to coddle Putin. However on the very least, I am hoping for a correct ceasefire, and an opportunity for Ukraine’s many sport builders to sleep soundly at night time. An entire technology of Ukrainian video games are rising which are inflected by expertise of the struggle, both working across the related large sensible challenges or immediately participating with it.
RAMnarök continues
The generative AI craze is doing horrible issues to the supply of RAM, with worth hikes and the closure of 1 main client model so as to promote extra chips to “bigger, strategic prospects in faster-growing segments”. Count on it to proceed, sayeth a Kingston rep, with costs remaining excessive effectively into 2026, and different {hardware} prices (together with the value of Valve’s new Steam Machine and the Steam Deck 2) anticipated to go up by affiliation. Except…
The bursting of the genAI bubble?
My enthusiasm for the sight of Sam Altman being made to stroll Cersei-style by way of a metropolis of egg-throwing idea artists is countered by the conviction that if the genAI bubble does pop, we’re all going to undergo. Save for the super-rich who get governments to bail them out, anyway. I am no economist, however the naked details listed here are that an incomprehensibly massive sum – as of late summer time 2025, Nvidia accounted for about eight p.c of the worth of your entire inventory market – has been collectively wagered on applied sciences which have but to comprehensively display their value, past being a boondoggle you possibly can wave across the workplace to reassure your investor associates that the Future Is Now. There are precedents in radio and aviation, however the promise that generative AI could be shoved into each stroll of life creates a daunting quantity of room for failure.
If you’re studying this on 1st January 2027 and scoring me 0/7, please think about that about 90% of this text was written by a committee of rhinoviruses. Listed here are another phrases that deserve correct entries: World Cup, inflation, tariffs, China, Roblox, Fortnite, India, South America. Additionally, please learn the feedback, which I am positive might be crammed with much more substantial and correct items of soothsaying.
Alternatively, take a look at GamesIndustry’s current round-up of correct grown-up analyst predictions: this contains some factors about consoles, cell gaming, and different realms of human endeavour which have by no means recognized the radiance of a Rock Paper Shotgun editorial. It burns! It burns! Cakemix for now.
