Everything's going wrong; it's all falling apart!

And I’ll even go so far as to say it was better before! As we approach the end of 2025, three news items hit me like the last nails in the coffin of the microcosm of my youth. The gaming industry is dynamic, which remains generally a good thing despite a few minor flops, but this dynamism inevitably brings changes, and with them, disappearances. Thus, 2025 will see the end of three pillars of the video gaming world from the first quarter of the 2000s: Game One, the first and to my knowledge only television channel dedicated to video games, is closing after 27 years on air; American Electronic Arts, having abandoned the FIFA license that made its fortune in 2023, falls under Saudi control; and French Ubisoft just keeps on dying, and quite painfully at that!

Game One, the copper coin that goes unpicked

In September 1998, Bob entered his third year at a new middle school after losing his childhood friends, finding himself with a new chapter of his young life to write. However, that September wasn’t all that terrible due to the launch of Game One, a channel dedicated to video games (exclusively at first, then expanding into digital culture and anime), which accompanied me into adulthood. While I hadn’t really watched the channel in about fifteen years, I felt a twinge of melancholy when I heard the news of its closure. A mere rumor in October turned into reality with its official confirmation just a few days ago. Competition from streaming? Big bad capitalism? Everyone will have their opinion, but according to explanations from Marcus and Julien Tellouck during the official announcement, it seems that the channel, although profitable, became a minor victim of the subscription video platform wars. Specifically, the merger between Paramount Global and Skydance in the United States—to compete with Netflix and Disney+—led to Skydance’s acquisition of Paramount Networks France and a reorganization of its assets. In this “global” plan, Game One was too small to matter: as Marcus cleverly put it, for the decision-makers, it was just a coin that fell from their wallet, not worth picking up! One must admit that the channel was probably more a glory of the past than a future champion. After a quarter-century and a rather eventful history, the “Channel of the Digital Generation” bows out gracefully. I wish its crew well and fondly recall the early clips, Level One Ocarina of Time, and the episodes of Lakmy and Boomy I watched instead of going to class!

Electronic Arts, Soft Power, and Big Bucks

Game One generated about 2 million euros per year; Electronic Arts, on the other hand, was acquired by a consortium of investors for 55 billion dollars. I think you now better understand the story of the copper coin. In the video game industry, figures can climb very high, very fast; but beyond the financial aspect, video games now have enough cultural weight to interest the political world. The acquisition of Electronic Arts is a textbook case in this regard, as the main investor is none other than the Saudi Public Investment Fund. This sovereign fund is directly under the control of the crown prince and prime minister of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, who has been making multiple investments in recent years to prepare for the post-oil era. Preparing for the post-oil era requires two things: making profitable long-term investments and improving the public image of the kingdom. To overshadow the journalist dismemberment and the unique interpretation of human rights practiced by the Saud family, there’s nothing like stirring up western masses with large-scale entertainment. Saudi Arabia is set to host the FIFA World Cup in 2034, which raises some legitimate questions in light of the 2022 precedent.

The massive investment by the PIF in the video game industry over the past few years—summarized and explained by Kocobé in an article for Canard PC, with the acquisition of EA being just the latest event—also fits into this effort to polish Saudi Arabia’s brand image. This effort nearly resulted in the kingdom organizing the eSports Olympics, before the IOC backtracked. Oni sees this as a commendable act by the IOC in response to the hypocrisy of the eSports world—which closely follows the track of professional sports. Bob, on the other hand, is more pessimistic and realistic (or cynical, depending on your perspective!): having had brief contact with the Olympic body during the preparation of the Paris games, he knows that the IOC does not like to share its power and money, and this is the real reason for the cancellation of the eSports Olympics. Because, in reality, the treatment of living beings under Saudi rule doesn’t seem to interest many people: even the employees of Electronic Arts seem more concerned about the involvement of Jared Kushner—Donald Trump’s son-in-law—than they are about Saudi Arabia!

The strategy is reminiscent of Tencent’s approach with Ubisoft, about which I wrote a piece a few months ago. Should we then connect the acquisition of Electronic Arts, the opening of a PIF office in Paris last May, and the free Assassin’s Creed Mirage DLC set in Saudi Arabia, which appears to have been funded by the aforementioned PIF? Maybe…

In any case, it helps Bob manage his transition smoothly!

Cash-strapped Ubisoft

The announcement made quite a splash in specialized circles: Ubisoft requested a suspension of its stock trading on November 14, 2025. Back on the market a week later, Ubisoft cited delays in the reprocessing of accounts to justify its request, which triggered numerous rumors. In any case, the incident does not inspire confidence in the future of the fallen French champion. The company had placed a lot of hope on Assassin’s Creed Shadow to recover, but the game, in addition to being seemingly quite mediocre (I haven’t played it, as the series leaves me rather indifferent), got mired in a controversy regarding its “woke” aspect, leading to protective measures for the company’s employees. It’s tough times for the Breton as they even refuse to disclose the sales figures for the episode, which unfortunately seems to be another major failure. The failure was significant enough to lead to the cancellation of the planned second DLC.

In this context, the Chinese company Tencent, set to take control of major franchises in exchange for a substantial check, appears as a savior after years of hardship during which Ubisoft’s stock value has been slashed by one-tenth (while EA’s nearly doubled over the same period…).

The rescue might be short-lived, as Ubisoft seems to be pinning its hopes on artificial intelligence23, a solution that won’t address the recurring issues of originality and creativity that have plagued the publisher for years and are, in my view, the root of its downfall. If the French company still thinks it has a magical and innovative solution, it’s gravely mistaken. Electronic Arts not only leads in this domain24, but this advancement has also exposed the flaws and deficiencies of generative AI25… Investing money in a technology that doesn’t solve the underlying issues, proves impractical, and resembles a burgeoning bubble ready to burst is clearly foolish, putting Ubisoft’s survival at serious risk. At this stage, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Breton publisher simply vanished, leaving behind licenses passed under the Chinese flag and a record in vaporware: Ubisoft recently amused itself by unearthing the dead-on-arrival body of Beyond Good and Evil 226 to showcase it to a crowd of players naïve enough to still believe. Announced in 200827, BGE 2 with its 17 years of “development” outdoes Duke Nukem Forever’s 15 years of struggle. Breizh da Viken! (Brittany forever!)

Bob Dupneu

Furthermore

Another franchise from which the sweet scent
of vapourware begins to emanate is Grand Theft Auto VI, delayed once again to November 19, 2026. Over 12 years have passed since GTA V, and the gaming world hasn’t stood still waiting for Take-Two. Consequently, GTA VI cannot afford to rest on the laurels of GTA V and must bring something genuinely new to meet the high expectations it has generated. But perhaps the problem lies precisely there… Time will tell!

Everything’s going wrong; it’s all falling apart!

Game One, the copper coin that goes unpicked

Electronic Arts, Soft Power, and Big Bucks

Cash-strapped Ubisoft

Furthermore

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20 Years of Ubisoft Action	20 Years of Electronic Arts Action