The Game Awards 2025 has concluded, with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 sweeping a large number of awards, as many expected. While the awards themselves may not have been very climactic, there were some notable game announcements during the show, including some truly welcome surprises. The following is just a few of the many reveals.
A Horror Veteran Returns
We received yet another trailer for the next Resident Evil game, Resident Evil: Requiem. While this game was a known entity, what was not (at least publicly) was the fact that Leon S. Kennedy (Nick Apostolides) would be returning as the game’s second protagonist. It seems like his half of the game will be more action-focused, while Grace Ashcroft’s (Jeannie Tirado) half will be more horror-oriented.
A Legend Unearthed… Twice
We also received news of not one, but two new Tomb Raider games. Tomb Raider: Catalyst is a new entry in the series set for release in 2027, and Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is a remake of the original game set to release in 2026. Both games are being developed in Unreal Engine 5, giving a bold new direction for the franchise that seems to harken back to some of the series’ older entries. Alix Wilton Regan will play the role of the legendary Lara Croft in both titles.
Spiritual Successors to Dragons and Drones
Creator of the Yakuza series, Toshihiro Nagoshi, announced a game under his new studio. Gang of Dragon appears to be a gritty Japanese crime drama that draws on the more serious Yakuza games of old. Korean actor Ma Dong-Seok appears to be playing the protagonist in this one.
Speaking of star performances, we heard the voice of Stellan Skarsgård in a trailer for Ontos, a new science fiction thriller from the creators of sci-fi horror game Soma. This game was cited as being a sort of spiritual sequel to the former, so I’m intrigued to hear more about it.
Somehow, the Old Republic Returned
The show started with the announcement of a brand new Star Wars game, but not just any Star Wars game. Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic is being led by Casey Hudson, creator of the original beloved Knights of the Old Republic game all the way back in 2003. The game is yet another in-depth RPG set in the Old Republic time period, and serves as an interesting installment to look forward to following multiple other Star Wars games going dark mid-development.
We Found Out what that Weird Statue Was
Leading up to the Game Awards, people discovered a strange statue in the desert, clearly some sort of viral marketing campaign for a soon-to-be-announced game. After various rumors and theories, the statue was confirmed to be a promotion for Divinity, the next game from 2023 Game of the Year winner Larian Studios. Picking back up the studio’s original IP, this game is set to be Larian’s biggest yet, even surpassing that of their beloved previous production of Baldur’s Gate 3. The trailer shown at The Game Awards was a brutal animated sequence of a man being burned alive inside of a wicker man, right after a Muppet gag. Classy.
The Next Installment
The announcement that excited me the most was CONTROL: Resonant. Over the past few years, I’ve become a massive fan of all things Remedy, and so the next installment in their connected universe of games being a sequel to their 2019 masterpiece, CONTROL, was something that had me grinning ear to ear. This time around, we’re playing as Dylan Faden (Sean Durrie), with the gameplay focusing around melee combat. Surprisingly, Resonant is releasing sometime next year, assuming it isn’t delayed.
And so that’s a wrap on this year’s Game Awards. The awards section felt a lot more predictable this year, although it was nice that more developers got to give speeches this time around. The big announcements weren’t as monumental as some in the past may have been, but I think there were enough pleasant surprises to please most people, including so many other projects announced at this year’s show that aren’t covered in this article.
Sources: TheGameAwards, Sandfall, Capcom, IMDb, IMDb, Crystal Dynamics, Crystal Dynamics, IMDb, IMDb, Steam, IMDb, IMDb, Steam, Steam, StarWars, StarWars, Steam, Gamespot, Larian, Larian, Larian, Remedy, Remedy, Remedy, IMDb
Images: Remedy Entertainment, Steam, Star Wars, Larian, Remedy Entertainment
