GTA6 and questions for 2025
Predictions and predilections
It’s prediction season for games journalists — a practice that builds buzz but risks making us look like fools. Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier thinks Grand Theft Auto 6 won’t debut this year, but Hollow Knight: Silksong will. Polygon’s Russ Frushstick raises by claiming Silksong won’t just come out, but will let you play as another character other than Hornet.
NPR’s been burned on Silksong before, though. We listed it as one of our “most anticipated games” in both 2023 and 2024, so I’m not about to hop aboard this hype train (though I really hope it proves true!). However, I did allow myself to opine on the state of the industry more broadly with Here & Now host Scott Tong this week:
Rabid as fans are for any scrap of news about [Grand Theft Auto 6], nobody’s holding their breath more than industry executives, who hope the long-awaited debut could bolster flagging console sales.
The last series title, GTA5, came out in 2013 and went on to ship more than 200,000,000 copies, making it the world’s second best-selling game after Minecraft. GTA6 may eclipse even that stunning record. Financial research firm DFC Intelligence predicts the game will earn more than $1 billion in preorders alone.
While questions continue to swirl around Grand Theft Auto, I’ve got a few others for the new year. Here they are:
How much of an upgrade will Nintendo’s newest console be over the Switch?
Nintendo should officially announce a sequel to its ultra-popular Switch by the end of March. We still know frightfully little about the machine and how much more powerful it might be than original Switch hardware, which now struggles to run modern games. We also don’t know which launch titles may premiere alongside the console, though Metroid Prime 4 is the betting favorite after its surprise trailer dropped last year. I suspect that even modest improvements will entice eager buyers, but that same strategy doomed the Wii U after the delirious success of the Wii.
Will Assassin’s Creed Shadows rescue Ubisoft?
The once-mighty Ubisoft limped into the new year. Skull and Bones capsized after costing hundreds of millions of dollars and 11 years to develop. Star Wars Outlaws launched to middling reviews, massive bugs and mediocre sales. Even critical darling Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown performed so poorly that Ubisoft disbanded the team that made it.
Stakes are stratospheric for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which Ubisoft pushed from releasing late in 2024 to Valentine’s Day this year. Where the last game, Mirage, simplified the series and returned it to its Middle Eastern roots, Shadows will export its stealth open-world action to historical Japan. The problem for Ubisoft? Rivals have already staked out this territory, from Rise of the Ronin to Ghost of Yōtei, the upcoming sequel to the revered Ghost of Tsushima. Shadows will have to overcome this robust competition (not to mention virulent online hate) to give Ubisoft the boost it needs to dodge deeper layoffs.
Listen to the full interview or read more here.
Also, in case you missed it, I spent many hours on my GOTY list this year, which isn’t just a snapshot of my tastes but a buffet of recommendations for the discerning:
