Day Zero Podcast

2025 was an incredible year for video games.

And while it was an even better year for self-inflicted industry drama with lay-offs, genAI (and lack of disclosure for such), platforms playing fast and loose with indie devs, and megacorps imploding, the games, were impeccable.

With that in mind, we discuss the best of what the year had to offer. From the obvious such as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to the obtuse like Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, we’re joined by special guest (our first!) editor-in-chief of Story Mode, Karan Pradhan to let you know what you should have played. Be it indies like Herdling or jilted-at-The-Game-Awards-but-not-here games like Death Stranding 2, we got you covered.

In addition to each of us listing our top five games of 2025, we also point out some honourable mentions to round things off. Eagle-eyed viewers would probably find the nearly hourlong length a concern as we’re usually a lot shorter for most episodes. With that in mind, we’ve kept timestamps for all sections for you to peruse through.

00:00 Introduction

02:15 Karan’s favourite games of 2025

11:33 Rahul’s favourite games of 2025

30:04 Why Dispatch surprised us all

32:17 Who did you pick in Dispatch?

32:39 Rishi’s favourite games of 2025

39:47 Karan’s honourable mentions

42:15 Rahul’s honourable mentions

46:47 Rishi’s honourable mentions

50:42 Outro

Day Zero is a podcast on video games featuring Rahul Majumdar and Rishi Alwani breaking down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world’s greatest entertainment industry.

We’d love to hear your objectively good takes — they surely can’t be worse than some of ours. Find us with yours at the handles below:

* Twitter/X - @RishiAlwani

* Threads - @rishi.alwani

* Instagram - @rishi.alwani

* Twitter/X - @darthrahul

* Threads - @darthrahul

* Instagram - @darthrahul

You can also check out our special guest Karan Pradhan right here:

* Twitter/X — @karanpradhan_

* Instagram — @right_arm_over_

As the title suggests, we didn’t include GTA 6 in this list of what to look forward to in 2026. The reason is obvious: we don’t know if it will really ship in 2026. Rather than waste your time on a game from a publisher with no concrete date which you’d buy anyway, we figured it would be a better use of our time and yours to highlight everything else that is set to make 2026 one of the bigger years for video games.

From heavy hitters like Wolverine and Control Resonant (we at Day Zero stan Remedy — even if Alan Wake 2 PC is stuck on Epic Games Store and Quantum Break may never make it to PlayStation platforms) as well as potential gems like Solasta II, and Crimson Desert, there’s a lot to look forward to.

Along with this we also discuss indie efforts like the ambitious Napoleonic Europe-inspired Hunger to contained, emotional adventures like Fishbowl. The latter is of interest. Being the first game from PlayStation’s India Hero Project it could very well set the tone of what to expect. No pressure.

In addition to this we also dive into some surprise picks such as Pragmata with its solid demo, Marathon, and Lego Batman. All while dropping some honourable mentions along the way. Which ones you ask? Listen to find out.

Finally we discuss what we’ve been playing this week, including the excellent Dispatch and Baldur’s Gate 3.

Welcome to Day Zero. It’s a podcast on video games featuring Rahul Majumdar and Rishi Alwani breaking down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world’s greatest entertainment industry.

We’d love to hear your objectively good takes — they surely can’t be worse than some of ours. Find us with yours at the handles below:

* Twitter/X - @RishiAlwani

* Threads - @rishi.alwani

* Instagram - @rishi.alwani

* Twitter/X - @darthrahul

* Threads - @darthrahul

* Instagram - @darthrahul

In this episode Rahul and Rishi discuss Larian’s interview with Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, what the Baldur’s Gate 3 hitmaker’s statement really means for the future of video game development and why CEO' Sven Vincke’s attempt at damage control just made everything so much worse. So much so that it appears that the company is on a generational speed run of ruining all the good will its garnered over the years.

Along with this we also discuss Sandfall Interactive’s AI admissions that have resurfaced after being caught and why disclosures are critical rather than admitting AI was used after the fact. After all, nothing is a bigger betrayal of audience trust than being made aware their game of the year used AI after it hit the shelves.

Speaking of which, we also parse through what the industry’s adoption of AI means for game development and more importantly, the impact it has on end-users who are effectively being priced out of buying PCs and consoles due to rising RAM costs courtesy the AI “boom”.

Furthermore, we talk about Xbox’s retreat from its $80 price tag and how Microsoft may actually have to start selling games to make up for the money pit that is Xbox Game Pass.

Finally, we talk about the hidden and not so hidden gems we’ve been playing this week.

Welcome to Day Zero. This is a podcast on video games featuring Rahul Majumdar and Rishi Alwani. We break down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world’s greatest entertainment industry.

Naturally, we’d love to hear your objectively good takes — they surely can’t be worse than some of ours. Find us with yours at the handles below:

* Twitter/X - @RishiAlwani

* Threads - @rishi.alwani

* Instagram - @rishi.alwani

* Twitter/X - @darthrahul

* Threads - @darthrahul

* Instagram - @darthrahul

This week, Rahul and Rishi discuss the decline of Xbox in the US, making room for a new contender — the NEX Playground. And while it might seem like just a slap in the face for the gaming division of one of the world’s biggest companies, there’s more to it. The market has decided on value-conscious offerings.

We discuss why affordable gaming options are a necessity for the games industry to survive before it can even think about beginning to thrive, even if sections of the community and the business itself may frown on the liberties some of these options take in terms of IP and legitimacy, including the likes of Mitashi and Sameo, some of which exist due to the lack of an official presence from the likes of Nintendo.

Along with this, we look into Sony’s cancelled game, Project Draconis and parse why leaks like these see the light of day in a business that’s obsessed with secrecy, touching on some of our personal experiences with leaks in the industry.

Finally we talk about what we’ve been playing this week including the likes of The Outer Worlds 2, Dispatch, the Fishbowl demo, Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon, and a whole lot more.

If you’re new here, Day Zero is a podcast on video games featuring Rahul Majumdar and Rishi Alwani breaking down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world’s greatest entertainment industry.

We’d love to hear your objectively good takes — they surely can’t be worse than some of ours. Find us with yours at the handles below:

* Twitter/X - @RishiAlwani

* Threads - @rishi.alwani

* Instagram - @rishi.alwani

* Twitter/X - @darthrahul

* Threads - @darthrahul

* Instagram - @darthrahul

The PS5 is the de facto winner of this generation’s console war if you even want to call it that. And despite its relative ubiquity in part due to Microsoft’s own bad decision-making and Nintendo’s lack of ambition in expanding beyond the confines of US and Europe (we still don’t have its consoles available officially in markets like India), it’s pretty obvious Sony hasn’t put its foot off the gas. In this episode of Day Zero we look at what seems to be a big year for the PS5 with games such as:

* Saros

* Wolverine

* Intergalactic

* Phantom Blade 0

* Marathon

* Marvel Tokon Fighting Souls

Granted 2026 should also see GTA 6 make an appearance and while we do discuss that at length too, it’s definitely not the most interesting game to hit the console.

In addition to this we also parse through what to expect from some of Sony’s quieter studios like Dark Outlaw Games, Firesprite, and of course, speculate on whatever Santa Monica is cooking next.

Along with this we also discuss when to buy a PS5, if the PS5 Pro ends up making it to markets like India, all while wondering what to expect from Team Green whose big tech overlords have landed it squarely on a boycott list for good reason.

Finally we also parse through Epic’s bout of epic hypocrisy on de-platforming indie game Horses after soaking in the positive publicity while fighting other platforms like Google and Apple for Fortnite to have a place in the sun.

If you’re new here, Day Zero is a podcast on video games featuring Rahul Majumdar and Rishi Alwani breaking down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world’s greatest entertainment industry.

We’d love to hear your objectively good takes — they surely can’t be worse than some of ours. Find us with yours at the handles below:

* Twitter/X - @RishiAlwani

* Threads - @rishi.alwani

* Instagram - @rishi.alwani

* Twitter/X - @darthrahul

* Threads - @darthrahul

* Instagram - @darthrahul

During the third episode of the Day Zero podcast, we tackle PC monopolist storefront Steam’s foray into censorship by striking down the release of indie studio Santa Ragione’s upcoming game Horses, and what it means for the platform. Given the chokehold Steam parent company Valve has on the digital distribution of video games, it isn’t just a retailer, but a kingmaker to boot. One that’s increasingly flaunting its strength on the most vulnerable kind of game developers — Indies.

In addition to this we talk about how every Indian game company’s potential meal ticket, the PIF is reportedly falling short of funds after its (yet to be approved) buyout of EA, and why this perceived paucity of money in the games business is a good thing.

Along with this we talk about how AI (yes, that again) is ruining video games by driving up DRAM prices that will make a potential PC or console purchase more expensive than it should be as well as the Roblox CEO’s generational cringe-inducing interview as well as the firm’s entry into India.

Day Zero is a podcast on video games featuring Rahul Majumdar and Rishi Alwani breaking down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world’s greatest entertainment industry.

We’d love to hear your objectively bad takes. Let’s start a dialogue, preferably with enough branching paths favouring us.

* Twitter/X - @RishiAlwani

* Threads - @rishi.alwani

* Instagram - @rishi.alwani

* Twitter/X - @darthrahul

* Threads - @darthrahul

* Instagram - @darthrahul

Another year another Call of Duty. This year’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is reviled for a host of reasons, though the one of interest to us is its use of AI.

With the biggest games franchise in the world in terms of annual sales using generative AI tools to make its latest entry, we break down what it means for the games industry and consumers at large, along with cameos from Arc Raiders, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and Anno 117 Pax Romana.

In addition to this, we discuss some of the latest sales data for Ghost of Yotei, Pokémon Z-A, and, of course, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. Furthermore, we try parsing Xbox’s strategy post the Xbox Partner Event, which had one big surprise in Raji: Kaliyuga.

This is the second episode of Day Zero. Day Zero is a podcast on video games featuring Rahul Majumdar and Rishi Alwani breaking down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world’s greatest entertainment industry.

We’d love to hear your objectively bad takes. Let’s start a dialogue, preferably with enough branching paths favouring us.

* Twitter/X - @RishiAlwani

* Threads - @rishi.alwani

* Instagram - @rishi.alwani

* Twitter/X - @darthrahul

* Threads - @darthrahul

* Instagram - @darthrahul

Welcome to the first episode of Day Zero. Day Zero is a podcast on video games featuring Rahul Majumdar and Rishi Alwani breaking down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world’s greatest entertainment industry.

On our first episode we discuss Valve’s big hardware push with the new Steam Machine, Steam Frame headset, and revamped Steam controller — along with what to expect in terms of price, availability, and why it might not be the cure-all you might think PC games need.

Along with this we also talk about Microsoft bringing Xbox Cloud Gaming to India and what that entailed, as well as how it fits (or does not fit) into the tech giant’s grand plan for gaming. We’re extremely grateful to journalist Aroon Deep’s reporting at The Hindu which helped inform this part of the podcast.

We’d love to hear your objectively bad takes. Let’s start a dialogue, preferably with enough branching paths favouring us.

* Twitter/X - @RishiAlwani

* Threads - @rishi.alwani

* Instagram - @rishi.alwani

* Twitter/X - @darthrahul

* Threads - @darthrahul

* Instagram - @darthrahul