2025 Year in Review - Jan 2, 2026

·1 hr 52 min·5 clips

Damiani risks his jugular with a laser pointer to lure his cats on camera during the 2025 year-in-review podcast.

The episode begins with a humorous, chaotic segment as Damiani tries to lure his cats on camera with a laser pointer. The hosts then dive into the 2025 year-in-review, framing it as a mix of negative and positive news. They start with industry setbacks: GTA 6 was delayed multiple times, pushing to late 2026, and a potential buyout of EA by Saudi Arabia and Jared Kushner is discussed, raising concerns about control and inclusivity. Nintendo Switch 2 sales are revealed to be disappointing, with combined Switch 1 and 2 sales failing to surpass Switch 1's previous November numbers, attributed to high prices and lack of killer apps. The Game Awards are noted to have hit 177 million viewers, but the Future Class program is criticized as mishandled. AI controversies take center stage, with a crowdsourced list detailing over 135 games caught using AI for assets or voice acting, including titles like Claire Obscure and Call of Duty, amid ongoing layoffs and voice actor strikes. Sales data from Matt Piscatella shows Battlefield 6 as the top seller of 2025, followed by NBA 2K26, with Call of Duty Black Ops 7 seeing a decline and landing at seventh place. The hosts pivot to positive highlights, praising indie games like Hollow Knight: Silksong, The Alters, Tiny Bookshop, and Citizen Sleeper 2, while also noting successes like Lies of P: Overture DLC and the functional performance of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet on Switch 2. The episode concludes with 'Love and Respect' listener questions, touching on the RAM shortage's impact on hardware affordability, industry shifts toward consolidation and AI, and the potential monopolization of discussion by GTA 6 in 2026.

As heard by us

A scrappy year-end panel that pairs sales numbers with two sharply different 2025 favorites.

The Easy Allies 2025 year-in-review episode keeps a loose, conversational pace while moving from Matt Piscitello's sales numbers into a warm look at the panel's clear favorites.

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Why you'd press play

You get year-in-review sales numbers, cozy Switch talk, and a cat-messed panel with just enough FMV horror to matter.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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