New Games 2025: October Week 2 Spotlight

Welcome back to another packed week in gaming. October continues delivering an impressive variety of releases that span from colorful platforming adventures to large-scale military shooters and haunting cooperative horror experiences. Before we explore this week's lineup, make sure to check out our esports predictions and analysis for comprehensive tournament coverage. Beyond the games themselves, the industry faces significant transitions as major acquisitions finalize and studios navigate the evolving landscape of game development. Let's examine what launched this week and unpack the news shaping the future of interactive entertainment.

Game Releases

Yooka-Replaylee

Platforms: PC, Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X/S

Release Date: October 9, 2025

The dynamic duo returns with a complete reimagining of their debut adventure. This isn't your standard remaster treatment where developers slap on higher resolution textures and call it a day. Playtonic Games has essentially rebuilt their 3D platformer from the ground up, doubling the content while refining every aspect of the original experience.

The narrative framework has been restructured around Yooka and Laylee recounting their greatest adventure, introducing a storybook presentation that adds personality to the progression. This meta approach allows for cheeky commentary and embellishments that give the game additional charm beyond its vibrant worlds.

Content expansion reaches impressive levels with 300 collectible Pagies scattered throughout new and revised areas. The moveset has been completely overhauled, introducing fresh abilities and combo systems that create more fluid, expressive platforming. Camera improvements address one of the original's most criticized aspects, making navigation considerably smoother.

Rextro's arcade games return as fully playable isometric platforming experiences, essentially offering a game within a game. The new Q.U.I.D.S currency system adds another collection layer, funding purchases at Vendi's expanded shop of tonics and cosmetic options. An adventurer's notebook helps track progress across the expanded worlds, while fast-travel bookmarks eliminate tedious backtracking.

The soundtrack deserves special mention. Composers David Wise, Grant Kirkhope, and Steve Burke return with their original score, now arranged as a full orchestral recording with new contributions from Dan Murdoch and Matt Griffin. For anyone who grew up with Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country, this musical pedigree alone makes Yooka-Replaylee worth experiencing.

Absolum

Platforms: PC, Switch, PS5

Release Date: October 9, 2025

Dotemu continues their remarkable streak of revitalizing classic genres with this fantasy beat 'em up that blends Streets of Rage 4's combat mastery with roguelite structure. The collaboration between Dotemu, Guard Crush, and Supamonks brings together proven expertise in action gameplay, technical execution, and visual artistry.

The world of Talamh presents a fantasy setting where magic has become feared and outlawed following a catastrophic event. Sun King Azra has exploited this fear to enslave wizards through the Crimson Order while installing loyal princes to govern conquered territories. Players join high enchantress Uchawi's rebellion, wielding forbidden magic against Azra's oppressive regime.

Four distinct characters offer varied playstyles. Galandra wields a massive sword enhanced by necromantic powers, her calm exterior masking intense fury. Karl represents the last free dwarf, combining ancestral blunderbuss firepower with brutal close-range brawling. Brome brings prodigious wizardry focused on protecting future generations, while Cider offers nimble skirmishing mechanics tied to mysterious soul fragments.

Combat emphasizes rapid combo chains merged with spellcasting, creating a rhythm that demands both mechanical skill and strategic thinking. Magical counters and rare items provide tactical options during unpredictable encounters that shift with each playthrough. The roguelite structure ensures considerable replayability as runs present different paths and challenges.

Cooperative play supports both couch and online sessions, allowing players to synchronize elemental powers and chain devastating combo attacks together. Composer Gareth Coker leads the soundtrack with collaborations from Yuka Kitamura and Mick Gordon, bringing pedigrees from Ori, Dark Souls, and Doom to create something special.

Battlefield 6

Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S

Release Date: October 10, 2025

The franchise returns to its roots after experimenting with different approaches in recent entries. Battlefield 6 doubles down on what made the series legendary: massive-scale warfare combining infantry combat with vehicle warfare across destructible environments.

DICE has crafted nine launch maps spanning iconic global locations. Siege of Cairo delivers intense urban combat where infantry must navigate alleys while avoiding tank treads. Iberian Offensive transforms Gibraltar's winding streets into a tactical playground of rooftops and destructible buildings. Liberation Peak provides vast mountainside terrain in Tajikistan, perfect for aerial dogfights and armored assaults. Operation Firestorm resurrects the beloved Battlefield 3 map with its burning oil fields.

The class system returns to traditional four-role structure after recent experiments with specialists. Assault focuses on frontline aggression with enhanced mobility and dual primary weapon capability. Engineers serve as vehicle deterrents and repair specialists, essential for armor-heavy matches. Recon handles reconnaissance and precision elimination, deploying drones and laser designators alongside sniper rifles. Support keeps teammates alive and supplied while mastering LMG suppression.

Tactical destruction has been refined to provide more consistent, reactive battlefield changes. Buildings don't simply collapse into predetermined rubble piles but instead respond dynamically to damage, creating genuine strategic opportunities rather than scripted moments.

The single-player campaign spans global conflicts from Saharan tank battles to Gibraltar beach assaults and defending New York from invasion. Following an elite Marine Raider squad provides narrative cohesion while showcasing the multiplayer sandbox's potential.

Multiple game modes cater to different preferences. Large-scale Conquest, Breakthrough, and Rush serve traditional Battlefield fans, while King of the Hill and Domination offer faster-paced infantry-focused experiences. This variety acknowledges that modern audiences seek different engagement lengths and intensities.

Little Nightmares III

Platforms: PC, Switch, Switch 2, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One

Release Date: October 10, 2025

Supermassive Games assumes development duties for this third installment, maintaining the series' signature atmospheric horror while introducing cooperative gameplay as a core mechanic rather than optional addition.

Players control Low and Alone, two children navigating the nightmarish Nowhere together. Low carries a bow while Alone wields a wrench, creating asymmetric cooperation where progression demands utilizing both tools strategically. Low's arrows reach distant targets, sever ropes, and down airborne threats. Alone's wrench crushes stunned enemies, demolishes barriers, and manipulates machinery. Whether playing with a friend or AI companion, survival requires constant coordination.

The Residents inhabiting Nowhere present varied threats across distinct locations. Monster Baby stalks sandy Necropolis ruins in terrifying hide-and-seek scenarios. Candy Weevil swarms infest an unsettling factory environment. A filthy funfair's rain-soaked promenade hosts dangers requiring quick reflexes and strategic positioning. The game balances running, hiding, and occasional combat, though violence remains a last resort rather than primary mechanic.

Environmental storytelling and puzzle design maintain the series' reputation for clever challenges that reward observation and creative thinking. The desolate beauty of Nowhere contrasts sharply with its horrors, creating unsettling atmosphere throughout.

As Low and Alone follow their mirror path across the Spiral, locations grow increasingly dangerous. Traumatic flashbacks begin emerging, hinting at deeper mysteries surrounding their circumstances. Multiple elements suggest the narrative will deliver the emotional gut punches fans expect from this series.

The four-to-six-hour runtime provides focused horror without overstaying its welcome, though completionists will find reasons to replay given the series' tradition of hiding secrets throughout environments.

Happenings in the Gaming World

EA Faces Uncertain Future Following Massive Acquisition

The gaming industry's largest acquisition has finalized with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners purchasing EA for $55 billion. Employee concerns have mounted despite corporate reassurances of "no immediate changes" to jobs.

Internal FAQ documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission reveal carefully worded responses to workforce questions. When asked directly about potential layoffs, EA stated employees would face no immediate job changes while emphasizing focus on innovation and global expansion. The ambiguity around "immediate" raises questions about whether changes arrive upon acquisition closure in 2027 or shortly thereafter.

Anonymous employee statements paint a grimmer picture than official communications suggest. One worker told GameFile that "nothing feels great" and expressed certainty that conditions will worsen before any potential improvement. Another voiced nervousness about post-closure workforce reductions, noting that layoffs typically follow major acquisitions while expressing concern about alignment with the new owners' values.

Financial Times reporting indicates the new investor group plans leveraging AI technology to reduce costs and boost profitability. This strategy becomes necessary given EA assumed $20 billion in debt to complete the transaction. The combination of massive debt servicing requirements and efficiency-focused new ownership creates an environment where workforce reductions seem increasingly likely despite current denials.

Dune: Awakening Studio Implements Layoffs After Record Launch

Funcom has announced workforce reductions despite Dune: Awakening becoming the studio's biggest release in 32 years. The survival MMO crossed one million players rapidly and peaked at 189,333 concurrent players on Steam shortly after launch, maintaining 20,000 to 30,000 concurrent players in subsequent months.

The studio framed layoffs as necessary restructuring to focus internal resources on ongoing content development and feature enhancement. Funcom emphasized the transition from initial development to long-term live operations while preparing for next year's major console release. This shift requires reallocating resources across projects and studios, resulting in staff departures the company described as saying goodbye to "cherished colleagues."

Funcom declined specifying exact layoff numbers, stating they cannot yet determine precise impact. The studio promised providing affected employees with support and guidance while requesting understanding during the process.

The timing appears particularly harsh given recent celebration of the game's success. Just months ago, Funcom branded Dune: Awakening as their fastest-selling title ever. The Last Harvest DLC launched September 10 alongside the first major free update, generating minor concurrent player increases. Industry observers note this pattern of post-launch workforce reductions following successful releases has become disturbingly common, even when games meet or exceed performance expectations.

ZA/UM Developers Establish UK Gaming Industry's First Workplace Union

Workers at Disco Elysium studio ZA/UM have successfully unionized with representation from the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain, establishing the first recognized workplace union in the UK games industry.

The union incorporates elected representative committees facilitating communication between developers and management. Game Workers Union chair Spring McParlin-Jones acknowledged the pioneering nature of their effort, explaining they essentially created the playbook as they progressed since no existing framework existed within UK gaming. While their union supports other industries providing some foundation, the process required significant learning and adaptation.

This development arrives alongside the UK government's £30 million Video Games Growth Package and establishment of the UK Video Games Council. However, McParlin-Jones expressed criticism regarding these initiatives, arguing they fail accurately representing worker needs. While acknowledging investment value, the union chair emphasized these programs don't directly benefit employees and stressed the importance of prioritizing worker considerations.

Mass layoffs throughout the industry provided the catalyst for unionization efforts at ZA/UM, though discussions had occurred previously. McParlin-Jones joked about their goal being "world domination" while seriously noting campaigns underway at multiple studios pursuing additional recognition agreements. The success at ZA/UM may establish precedent making future unionization efforts more viable across the UK gaming sector.

That wraps up our second October spotlight! What's catching your attention from this week's releases? If traditional gaming isn't your focus, remember we provide comprehensive coverage of Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2 tournaments. Check out our analysis and predictions, or test your skills with our Pick'ems system where you can predict match outcomes and win valuable Steam marketplace items and skins. Ready to compete? Jump in and show us your expertise.