Southeast Asia, friendslop and $30m video games are taking over the industry

Hello there!

Over, the last week, I’ve read far too many opinions on the future direction of the video game industry. It’s all Roblox. Or Steam. It’s definitely not console. It’s certainly not live service. It’s mostly China, and a bit of Korea. The jobs are all leaving California and going to India. Kids don’t want pretty graphics. Or long games. And the video game media is finished.

Now, whenever I read those things, there’s a little voice in my brain that goes ‘yeah, but…’

So, this week, I am going to be talking about trends. Plus, rounding up some big stories, including Xbox Game Pass’s new streaming caps and PlayStation’s latest State of Play.

Let’s go!

The industry loves a trend.

Of course it does. Investors like to back businesses that are capitalizing on the new ‘thing’. And tapping into that can be the difference between finding an audience and disappearing without a trace.

For a good few years, indie publishers would tell me that their job is to ‘put games in the best position to get lucky’. Luck isn’t the best business strategy, but there’s a truth to it. You can say the right things, tick all the marketing boxes, make a brilliant game, and still fail to make any money. And in 2026, that’s almost as true for AAA games as it is for indie projects.

Therefore, if there’s a trend (whether that’s a game trend, a business trend, or a marketing trend) that can increase your chances of success, then you better chase it. Quick, everyone make a Souls-like or an extraction shooter. What do you mean your game’s not free-to-play? Or $30? Where’s your co-op mode? Why haven’t you set-up a Discord channel yet?