Happy New Year
Happy New Year from GlitchCraft
The year 2025 is behind us. It was a year of building, experimenting, and making key decisions. A year in which GlitchCraft took major steps toward becoming what we aspire to be: a strong, modern game studio with global ambitions.
As we enter 2026, we are moving into a new phase.
This year will bring the release of our first games, the launch of a connected gaming ecosystem, and further expansion of the technologies that are reshaping how games are made. It will be a year of intense work, rapid progress, and bold creativity — but also one full of fun, passion, and innovation
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Looking Back at 2025
Over the past year, we laid the foundations of GlitchCraft.
We initiated development on multiple game projects, some already prepared for release, while others are well into mid or late production. Our vision goes beyond individual titles — we are building an ecosystem, where multiple games share technology, assets, and a unified creative backbone.
A major milestone in 2025 was the development and deployment of our proprietary AI, which is already transforming our approach to game development. By increasing efficiency and production quality, it enables faster iteration, smarter workflows, and scalable creativity. For us, AI is not an experiment — it is a production-ready tool actively shaping how our games are created.
In parallel with our internal projects, we also collaborated on game development for external studios, strengthening our technical expertise, production pipelines, and international partnerships.
Looking Ahead to 2026: Ecosystem , Games, and Growth
The year 2026 will be a defining chapter for GlitchCraft.
We are preparing for multiple game launches, continued expansion of our ecosystem, and the long-term goal of building a major game studio in Saudi Arabia — a hub for creativity, technology, and next-generation game development.
The gaming industry is evolving rapidly, and we intend to be part of that evolution. Not just by following trends, but by helping shape what comes next. By combining game development, AI-driven technology, and a long-term ecosystem strategy, each new project strengthens the whole.
Thank You
We want to thank our community for its continued support, our team for their dedication and creativity, and our partners for being part of this journey. GlitchCraft exists because of you — and its future is being built together with you.
Welcome to 2026.
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The Video Game Industry in 2025: Consolidation, Cautious Capital, and Growing Divergence
The year 2025 marked another turning point for the global video game industry. After several years of rapid expansion followed by cooling demand and pressure on profitability, companies and investors alike have shifted their focus toward operational efficiency, mergers and acquisitions, and the long-term sustainability of business models. While the sector remains appealing to capital, successful investing now requires more careful selection and a longer-term perspective.
One of the most significant developments of the year was the announced privatization of Electronic Arts. An investor consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, together with Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners and private equity firm Silver Lake, revealed plans to take the publisher private. Valued at approximately $55 billion and supported by around $20 billion in debt financing, the deal would represent the largest leveraged buyout in Wall Street history. For markets, the move underscores continued confidence among major institutional investors in the strategic importance and long-term earnings potential of the gaming sector.
However, analysts at Omdia emphasize that the true importance of the transaction lies not in its size, but in Electronic Arts’ future direction. It remains unclear whether the new owners will prioritize brand development and long-term reputation, or instead focus on maximizing near-term returns through more aggressive monetization of established franchises. This distinction could significantly influence investor sentiment across the broader industry.
A very different narrative unfolded in 2025 for French publisher Ubisoft. Entering the year with the goal of stabilizing its financial performance, the company quickly disappointed the market by announcing yet another delay to the highly anticipated Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Management attempted to restore confidence through a strategic partnership with Chinese technology giant Tencent and the creation of a new subsidiary, Vantage Studios, designed to oversee Ubisoft’s most valuable franchises. While the announcement provided a short-lived boost to the share price, the longer-term trend remained firmly negative.
Since the beginning of the year, Ubisoft’s stock has lost more than half of its value and is down over 90% compared with its 2021 peak. The company has become a textbook example of the risks associated with ballooning development costs, repeated delays of flagship titles, and a gradual erosion of market trust.
By contrast, Take-Two Interactive enjoyed strong investor support for much of the year, driven by extraordinary expectations surrounding Grand Theft Auto VI. With twelve years having passed since the release of GTA V, the upcoming installment was widely viewed as a potential watershed moment for both the company and the industry as a whole. These expectations, however, made the stock exceptionally sensitive to any new information.
A prolonged period of silence fueled speculation about delays, which were ultimately confirmed in November when Take-Two announced that GTA VI would now launch in November 2026. The market responded with an immediate sell-off, once again highlighting how closely gaming valuations are tied to a small number of blockbuster releases.
GTA VI is also expected to arrive late in the current console cycle, as the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S approach the end of their lifespan. This timing has accelerated strategic shifts among platform holders. Microsoft has been steadily moving away from console exclusivity, making Xbox titles available on competing platforms, while Sony has expanded the release of its first-party games on PC. Both strategies aim to broaden audiences and reduce reliance on hardware sales alone.
Despite these changes, consoles continue to play a central role in the gaming ecosystem. According to Omdia data, mobile gaming accounts for roughly 60% of total consumer spending, while consoles represent about 23% and PC gaming approximately 16%. Consoles therefore remain the primary platform for premium gaming experiences, supported by players’ strong willingness to spend.
Nintendo stands out as a notable exception to the broader move away from exclusive content. In 2025, the company launched the Switch 2 and once again leaned heavily on its proprietary franchises. Titles such as a new open-world Mario Kart and a brand-new Donkey Kong helped make the Switch 2 the fastest-selling console in history, with more than 10 million units sold within its first four months. Some analysts caution, however, that sustaining this momentum will depend on Nintendo’s ability to deliver major new releases on a consistent basis.
Overall, 2025 reinforced the view that the video game industry remains an attractive investment landscape—but one defined by increasingly stark contrasts between winners and losers. For investors, success will hinge not only on game sales, but on strategic execution, financial discipline, and each company’s ability to adapt to a rapidly evolving market.