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2025 will be a make-or-break year for triple-A video games as we know them

2025 is a massive year for triple-A games, but the industry and the world around it has changed. This'll be a decisive moment for the traditional blockbuster.

The first real rush starts in a bizarrely busy February, where Avowed, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Assassin's Creed Shadows and Monster Hunter Wilds make up the four horsemen of the open world action adventure apocalypse, backed up by Civilization 7 and Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. But there will also be stubbornness and a retreat to safe ground, undoubtedly - more remakes, sequels, reboots and franchises, more narrowly defined open world action games with yellow paint or grapple hooks or skill trees, or whatever else fits the perception of popular mainstream design. Lessons such as: return on investment isn't guaranteed when making video games; that breakout hits come from the arrival of something new, and that creating something new takes time, space and trust; that great, creative people need room to try and fail.

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