We spotlight projections for the biggest video game releasing this year in 2025’s first Pixel P&L. We also delve into Riot Games disputing reports of its Game Changers program appearing in Saudi Arabia’s Esports World Cup, Netflix’s Squid Game: Unleashed dominating app charts, and Team Orangutan’s victory at the Predator League India 2025.
Analysts Project $3 Billion Windfall for Grand Theft Auto VI in First Year
Take-Two Interactive’s highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI is expected to become the most lucrative entertainment release of 2025, with analysts (via The Financial Times) projecting first-year revenues reaching a staggering $3 billion. Industry observers say the game’s long-awaited debut, slated for this autumn on PlayStation and Xbox, could break $1 billion in pre-orders alone, highlighting a rare bright spot in a video game market grappling with slowing demand.
Sales of GTA VI, published by Take-Two’s Rockstar Games, are forecast to eclipse 2013’s GTA V, which sold more than 205 million copies. In contrast to last year’s underwhelming box-office results, analysts believe GTA VI’s opening will outstrip even the top-grossing Hollywood blockbusters. Yoshio Osaki, chief executive of IDG Consulting, suggests the pent-up demand for this installment may be unprecedented, likening it to a cultural event that extends beyond gaming circles.
Such optimism comes amid ongoing turbulence for the broader industry. Following record growth during the pandemic, many studios saw significant slowdowns as players’ tastes shifted, resulting in layoffs at major developers, including Sony and Microsoft. While skeptics warn that the overall game market will see only modest growth in 2025, Take-Two’s chief executive Strauss Zelnick remains bullish, contending GTA VI’s release will reignite excitement and help buoy the industry’s outlook.
Riot Pushes Back on Reports of Game Changers in Saudi Event Lineup
Riot Games told The Esports Advocate on Monday that Game Changers won’t be part of the upcoming Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Negotiations for other titles continue. The statement follows a ReaderGrev report citing an internal document naming League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics, Valorant, and Valorant Game Changers as part of the 2025 event’s final roster. Valorant was absent in 2024, citing league scheduling.
A Riot spokesperson stressed that “Game Changers is 100% off the table,” underscoring concerns about partnering with a government-backed event for women’s and marginalized-gender competitions. Riot added that any official presence for League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics, or Valorant at the eight-week tournament from July to August 2025 would be licensed to a third party rather than fully sanctioned by its leagues.
Quick Bytes
Netflix’s Squid Game: Unleashed Debuts as Top Free Game in 24 Countries
The game, released December 17, also soared to the No. 1 spot in the Top Free Action Game category across 57 countries on the App Store. The release coincided with Squid Game Season 2, which premiered December 26 and garnered 68 million views in its first week, topping Netflix’s non-English TV list in 92 countries and shattering the previous debut-week record.
Orangutan Wins Acer Predator League India 2025 Finals
The Valorant tournament was held at Mumbai’s NSCI Dome and featured an INR 6.5 lakh prize pool. With this win, Team Orangutan will represent India at the Asia Pacific Grand Finale in Malaysia, competing for a $400,000 prize pool.
Did You Know
A bug in Street Fighter II inadvertently gave birth to one of the most iconic features of fighting games: combos. During development, designers discovered that if players input commands quickly enough after an attack, the next move would connect before the opponent could react. Initially unintended, this "combo system" was later embraced and refined, becoming a staple of the Street Fighter series and the genre as a whole. The discovery revolutionized fighting games, adding a layer of depth and strategy that defined the genre for generations and influenced countless titles in the gaming industry.
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