GTA 6, the Nintendo Switch 2 and what else to watch out for | Global News Avenue

Even if you’re lucky enough to get a new console or game this Christmas, there are probably some upcoming releases you’ll have your eye on.

2025 is going to be a big year.

Most agree that 2024 will be a painful year for the games industry, with tens of thousands of layoffs and studio closures worldwide.

The hope is that things will rebound next year – at least partially.

Two major releases in particular could have a major impact.

This is a cultural moment that millions of gamers have been waiting for a long time.

Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6) is released.

It will be released in the fall, 12 years after the “GTA 5” prequel was released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Break launch record.

The first trailer for the sequel is already breaking records; Viewed more than 90 million times in 24 hours when it debuted last December.

This probably won’t be the last record to be broken.

“The anticipation for this is immeasurable,” Game Industry Network.

“Without a doubt, this will be one of the biggest game launches ever.”

Developer Rockstar hasn’t revealed much about the new game, other than its dual protagonists and its setting in the fictional Florida setting of Leonidas.

The biggest question on most fans’ minds is whether the release date will be pushed back, like Rockstar’s previous big releases.

James said he hasn’t seen any signs that that’s going to happen, but if things stay calm, it’s time to start worrying.

“If we still don’t see anything by the summer, and certainly if we don’t see anything by the end of August, then 2026,” he said.

The release of GTA 6 is expected to have an impact on the wider gaming industry.

“I think this may be one of those moments when a rising tide lifts all boats,” said George Osborn, a consultant and author of the book. Video Game Industry Memo Newsletter.

A hit game — especially one that resonates with the culture of Grand Theft Auto — can get more people “interested in buying video games,” and publishers want to take advantage of that, he said.

There are other big games planned for this year, such as French publisher Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, Sony’s Rampart, and strategy game Civilization VII, to name just three.

“The challenge for developers is how do you get yourself out of the Grand Theft Auto window?” George said.

Avoiding the dominance of GTA 6 could mean other publishers launching new games early this year, or even delaying them to early 2026.

Another thing we do know is that the game will release first on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles, with a PC release to follow.

Many gamers are still holding on to last-generation machines, and Sony and Microsoft hope GTA 6 will finally inspire them to upgrade.

“If anything can convince people to switch to a new console, it’s GTA 6,” James said, estimating that PlayStation 4 users still account for 50% of Sony’s active players.

But if we talk about hardware upgrades, there might be some competition.

Here’s everything we officially know about Nintendo’s next-gen console.

It exists.

Your current Switch games can run on it.

That’s it.

There’s no official name yet, but fans have been referring to it as the Nintendo Switch 2.

Despite unconfirmed leaks and rumors, the machine’s capabilities remain a mystery, with the company promising some sort of official announcement before the end of March.

However, there is a feeling that Nintendo does not want to change the winning formula of the original Switch, which has sold 146 million units since its launch in 2017.

“Reasonable money should be spent on a bigger, better Switch,” James said.

Expect it to look similar but have more processing power under the hood.

“That may sound reductive,” he added.

“But given the success this has had, it would be foolish for them not to just build on what they’ve already established.”

James believes the confirmation of backwards compatibility – the ability to play games originally made for the first-generation Switch – is a strong indication that the new machine won’t be a million miles away from its little brother.

He said there was a danger, as with previous Nintendo consoles, that customers might not understand that the new machines were different from the ones they already had at home.

But James isn’t sure it will suffer the same fate.

“That was a long time ago,” he said. “I think they’ve learned a lot of lessons since then.”

Some of the biggest success stories of 2024 will come from small independent developers.

The most notable of these is Balatro – an addictive, poker-inspired card game that competed for the coveted Game of the Year award at the end of the year.

Reporter Rachel Watts moderated independent podcastbelieves this will help lay the foundation for more breakout success this year.

“There are a lot of great indie developers this year,” she said.

“In terms of triple-A games, a lot of critics and gamers have said ‘it’s been a very quiet year, not a lot of big releases’, but for indies there’s always a lot of cool stuff to play.”

Successes like Balatro are very rare, and one of the big issues facing indie developers in 2024 is discoverability – Let players actually find your game.

Rachel says the number of releases on Steam (the online store for most PC games) is “frankly crazy” and getting noticed is “one of the hardest things”.

“I just don’t think it’s going to get any easier,” she said.

Rachel said independent developers were also struggling to find investment and the financial outlook for 2025 was “pretty bleak”.

But she does think that as more gamers begin to recognize the creativity that exists in the field, more breakout hits will follow.

“The indie space was where I fell back and just played games that made me excited about gaming again,” Rachel said.

“If Balatero can compete with some of the biggest hits of the year, then I hope other indie games can do the same.”

There’s another big moment to watch in 2025: the first esports Olympics will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

“I think this is an important moment because the Olympic movement has historically not been very keen on esports,” George said.

After years of fighting, the International Olympic Committee reached a 12-year agreement with Saudi Arabia to host the event.

The first eSports World Cup is taking place in Saudi Arabia this summer, and George said the event “didn’t really appeal” to a wider audience.

“It will be interesting to see if the eSports Olympics, with the official IOC brand and the official Olympic Movement brand behind it, will have a different impact,” George said.

Some fans, players and commentators boycotted the World Cup to protest Saudi Arabia’s human rights record.

George said the esports Olympics would reignite discussions about a “sports reshuffle” – in which Saudi Arabia uses its vast wealth to invest in sports and entertainment to boost its international reputation – something the kingdom denies.

“You have a very interesting thing,” George said.

“Your big esports moment – ​​esports becoming an Olympic sport.

“It’s really interesting. But basically the only way it can happen is because Saudi Arabia provided the funding.

“So, you know, how do people feel about that?”

Listen to news updates live Weekdays 12:45 and 17:45 – or tune in here.