In this week's gaming news round-up, we take a look at Ubisoft along with other industry updates, as it is Game Developers Conference 2025 week.
The Big Picture
In 2014, French video game giant Ubisoft was at its peak, with many revered Assassin’s Creed games under its belt while also producing classics like Rayman Legends and taking risks with licensed titles like South Park: The Stick of Truth. It was a good time.
Fast forward 10 years, and the company is arguably a shell of its former self. Its game releases lack the creativity and innovation they once had. Even after reworking the Assassin’s Creed formula with Assassin’s Creed Origins, Ubisoft milked that idea to the point where it had to return to basics with 2023’s Assassin’s Creed Mirage.
The company also wasted time and resources on developing its supposedly massive quadruple-A title, Skull & Bones, only for it to launch to much disappointment.
Conversely, Ubisoft released its best game in years, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, only to reward its development team by disbanding them. The same happened with its collaboration with Nintendo on the Mario + Rabbids turn-based combat series, which faced pricing issues.
Ubisoft has also been embroiled in public scrutiny due to multiple allegations of sexual harassment, workplace abuse, and misconduct in several of its offices, particularly Ubisoft Singapore.
Is Ubisoft truly “cooked”, as the younger generation says? Well, not entirely. Assassin’s Creed Shadows currently has over one million players across all platforms and counting. It is also receiving positive reviews, with aggregate sites like OpenCritic giving it an average of 82 per cent.
However, the company has been in a downward spiral due to its actions (and inactions) over the past decade. Let’s not forget that this is the company that took years to make an Assassin’s Creed game set in Japan – only for a PlayStation-exclusive studio to beat them to it.
Short Beats
Newzoo has released its latest report on the state of PC and console gaming in 2025 during GDC 2025 week. Long story short: PC gaming popularity remains stable, console revenue will depend on Grand Theft Auto 6 and Nintendo Switch 2, play habits and gaming time are decreasing, and older free-to-play titles like Genshin Impact and Fortnite continue to dominate worldwide.
Speaking of GDC 2025, indie game Balatro has won Game of the Year, Best Debut, Innovation Award, and Best Design at the 2025 GDC Awards. Other highlights include Astro Bot winning Best Audio and Metaphor: ReFantazio winning Best Narrative.
Razer has announced an initiative to identify bots in online gaming: Razer ID verified by World ID.
Warner Bros and Mojang Studios are teaming up with New Zealand to create a Minecraft DLC of New Zealand. It’s like a virtual tour of the country—but with more creepers.
Over in the Philippines, purchases from Steam and other digital gaming stores will now be subjected to a 12 per cent Value-Added Tax.
LEGO has announced a new Pokémon line, slated for release in 2026.
Two Chinese players have beaten a particularly tough Split Fiction challenge called Laser Hell. Their reward? A congratulatory message from the game’s director, Josef Fares. The video also states that he will show them early footage of his company’s upcoming game – all the way in Sweden.
A remake of Persona 4, 2008/2009’s best Japanese role-playing game, is in the works. This comes after Atlus registered a new domain name.
A new Painkiller first-person shooter entry has been announced by 3D Realms and Saber Interactive. It is slated for a Fall 2025 release.
Op-Eds
We made a comparison video between this year’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows and 2020’s Ghost of Tsushima, both open-world action-adventure games set in Feudal Japan.
Games Out This Week
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the next big action-adventure open-world period piece, where you play as a shinobi and samurai duo bringing peace to Feudal Japan. The game is out now for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X.
Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition is the 2025 remaster and rerelease of the Nintendo Wii U open-world sci-fi Japanese role-playing game from 2015. This remaster features quality-of-life improvements, updated graphics, and an epilogue quest to tie up loose ends of the game’s plot. But mostly, you’ll be flying around in your Skell mecha, doing quests, and unlocking secrets on the vast planet of Mira.
Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & The Envisioned Land is a new Japanese RPG from developer Gust and publisher Koei Tecmo that focuses on alchemy and experimentation. You play as Yumia, who must navigate a world where alchemy is banned. Journey with her and her friends as they forge a path through forbidden territory.
Bleach: Rebirth of Souls is a new 3D anime fighting game from Bandai Namco, based on the long-running Bleach manga series. You can choose from 33 fighters, including Soul Reapers, Vizards, human warriors, and Arrancars, as they clash in one-on-one combat.
Recommended Viewing
The GDC YouTube page has revealed the winners of the Independent Games Festival Awards and Game Developers Conference Awards.