This week: Meta shuts down three internal studios, Nintendo’s share price has dropped 33% in the last five months in Japan, Sega announces Sonic 35th anniversary plans to ‘celebrate Sonic’s legacy’, Amazon has greenlit a Fallout reality show where contestants live in a vault for a ‘huge cash prize’, and Anthem’s executive producer has released a nearly four-hour post-mortem video.

Also: face down baths, ‘after dark’ games, big life events, and more.

Games Discussed: Big Hops, Planet Zoo, Vital Shell, ARC Raiders, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Black Myth Wukong.

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After three long weeks away, we’re back for our first pod of 2026!

This week: January’s Xbox Developer Direct will feature a secret fourth game, Awesome Games Done Quick 2026 closes with £1.8m raised for Prevent Cancer Foundation, CWA Canada says it will "pursue every legal recourse" to protect unionised Ubisoft Halifax workers, a new Life is Strange game has just been rated in Europe, and Anthem finally shuts down.

Also: we reveal whose 2025 gaming predictions came true, we make new predictions for this year, and we reveal who won our Fantasy Critic league.

Games Discussed: PowerWash Simulator 2, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, ARC Raiders, Astro Bot, Super Metroid, Kirby Air Riders, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Return of the Obra Dinn, Big Hops, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.

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Here. We. Go.

It’s time to decide the TCGS Game of the Year for 2025.

Strap in.

Games discussed: 67 by Limmy, and Roger, ARC Raiders, Baby Steps, Battlefield 6, Blue Prince, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, Dispatch, Donkey Kong Bananza, Ghost of Yōtei, Hades II, Keep Driving, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Lumines Arise, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Promise Mascot Agency, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, Split Fiction, The Séance of Blake Manor.

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Here we go; it's the start of Game of the Year season at TCGS.

First order of business is choosing our GOTY Draft picks, and our Wildcard choices.

Also: everything announced at The Game Awards 2025, Rockstar again disputes staff were fired for unionising, staff at Doom maker Id Software vote to unionise, and more!

GAMES DISCUSSED: Skate Story, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Terminator 2D: No Fate, Karma: The Dark World, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Battlefield 6.

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PS5 dominated Black Friday console sales in the UK, Meta planning massive cuts to Reality Labs metaverse division, and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond's $30 Amiibo sparks exclusive bike radio backlash.

Also: The Jesus and Mary Chain, Games of the Decade, Mixtape genres, and more!

GAMES DISCUSSED: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Marvel Cosmic Invasion, Terminator: Resistance, Schildmaid MX.

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Epic’s Tim Sweeney says it ‘makes no sense’ for game stores to flag when AI has been used in development, Valve dev counters calls to scrap Steam AI disclosures, Gears Tactics developer Splash Damage puts entire studio at risk of redundancy, Phil Spencer says Xbox's Game Pass cloud hours are up 45% YoY, and a leaker says that Destiny 3 in “Extremely Early Development” at Bungie!

Also: Farley pants, baby recommendations, sequel recommendations and more!

GAMES DISCUSSED: Detective Instinct: Farewell, My Beloved, Battlefield 6, ARC Raiders, Walkabout Mini Golf, Baby Steps.

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Interplay co-founder Rebecca Heineman dies aged 62, Xbox Partner Preview, Steam Machines, the internet thinks Half-Life 3 is being announced this month, and Xbox is reportedly warning of yet another potential price increase.

Also: Switch mouse controls, Perfect For Portal, Goated sauce, Outer Worlds 2, Steam Deck, mechanical keyboards, and more!

GAMES DISCUSSED: This Bed We Made, Sektori, Battlefield 6, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, PowerWash Simulator 2, Dispatch, ARC Raiders

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Over 200 Rockstar North staff sign letter demanding "immediate reinstatement" of fired colleagues, Valve announces a new Steam ‘console’ and controller and VR headset, everything announced in last week’s PlayStation State of Play, everything announced in the Super Mario Galaxy Movie Nintendo Direct, Activision confirms Black Ops 7 uses gen-AI tools for assets, and more!

GAMES DISCUSSED: Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Lumines Arise, Dispatch, Kingdom Come Deliverance II, ARC Raiders, Vampire Survivors But It’s In Virtual Reality.

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Workers affected by Rockstar layoffs protest outside offices in London and Edinburgh, GTA 6 has been delayed again to the end of 2026, cloud streaming officially arrives on PlayStation Portal, Halo Infinite development finishes, and Bioware moves to reassure fans that a new Mass Effect is definitely still in development.

Also: hacking Alarmos, Hades fights, national dress, physical media, school fibs, and more!

GAMES DISCUSSED: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, ARC Raiders, RV There Yet?, Kirby Air Riders, The Séance of Blake Manor, Ghost of Yōtei, Dispatch.

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Amazon reportedly "gutting" its video game division as part of 14,000 company wide job cuts, Rockstar accused of union-busting after it fires dozens of developers, Xbox Q1 hardware sales down 29% while third-party content experiences "better-than-expected performance", US government says it’ll keep making video game memes, as Halo co-creator says ICE ad makes him ‘sick’, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons springs back to life next year with huge updates and more.

Also: ideal button layouts, host orders, game levels IRL, TV show teams, Marathon (the game) and more!

GAMES DISCUSSED: Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection, Dispatch, Absolum, RV There Yet?, Escape Simulator 2, Halls of Torment, Atari 2600+, Battlefield 6.

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