Games

I saw the developer recently address all the talk about player numbers on Steam, and it really resonated with me. They pointed out that Steam charts don’t actually tell you how fun a game is! It’s just a snapshot – one number, on Steam only, at a single point in time. They explained that it doesn’t give you the whole story, like what it’s actually like to play, or how amazing the community is that’s been working to make Arena Reloaded even better. It’s a good reminder that numbers aren’t everything!

Professor Joost van Dreunen, from NYU Stern School of Business and advisor to ELO, recently spoke with GameIndustry.biz about how changes in the video game market are opening doors for smaller games to become incredibly popular. He explained that this shift is similar to how television disrupted the traditional Hollywood movie industry. Games like Candy Crush, which are free to play, are now competing with—and sometimes overshadowing—expensive, high-profile titles like Grand Theft Auto or Call of Duty. However, we’re also seeing more games, such as Silksong, that don’t quite fit into either of those established business models.

These popular sandwich cookies were first available for a limited time, and recently sold at Hershey’s stores nationwide. Due to high customer demand, they’re now a permanent addition to the Oreo lineup, along with other new Oreo flavors being released this month.

Lionel Howse, known online as ‘lildealy,’ failed in his attempt to get his Labrador, Peaches, back after a legal hearing. The decision comes after several months of criticism sparked by concerning footage from his live streams. The tribunal decided Peaches should not be returned to his care.

Okay, so it sounds like a Mistborn game might actually happen! Brandon Sanderson says he’s finally at a point where he can seriously start working on it, and we’re at the very beginning stages – Step One, as he puts it – but that’s still super exciting. He’s been talking to some major companies about it, ones he really respects, which is cool. Plus, he’s making sure he keeps control over how his Mistborn world gets turned into a video game, which is smart. Fingers crossed this all pans out!

1. Mario Kart World – Best Sports & Racing Games of 2025

College Football 26 predicts that Indiana will win against Oregon with a score of 26-20, sending them to the College Football National Championship.

I was so excited to see what Razer brought to CES 2026, and Project AVA totally blew me away! It’s this incredibly cool 3D holographic AI companion – basically a little animated character that sits right on your desk. You can even reserve one online now, and it’s powered by xAI’s Grok, which means the conversations should be really smart and engaging. I can’t wait to get my hands on it!

Okay, so I just got my new Switch 2 and setting it up was pretty easy! It transferred most of my saved games automatically, which was awesome. But Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a little different. To move my island, I had to download the free ‘Island Transfer Tool’ from the Nintendo eShop. And I needed my old Switch console handy too, since that’s where my island data was stored. It was a bit extra work, but totally worth it to keep my island!

This January, a major free game offering is Madden NFL 26, the latest installment in the popular football franchise. It will be available on Luna for cloud streaming starting January 10th – perfectly timed with the beginning of the NFL Playoffs, which kick off with Wild Card games that same day. Coincidentally, Prime Video will also be streaming the Chicago Bears versus Green Bay Packers game on January 10th, creating a great lineup for football fans.