The 2025 Spiel des Jahres Winners are…
Plus was Subnautica 2 delayed to prevent developer bonuses?
The most prestigious award in board gaming announced their 2025 winners. Who are they? Also Subnautica 2’s delay could cost the developers working on it millions. Was this intentional? All this and more. Let’s go!
2025 Spiel des Jahres winners announced
The 2025 Spiel des Jahres winners were announced last week. The German board game award is one of the most prestigious in gaming, focusing on titles that are more casual or family-friendly. The finalists were announced a few weeks ago, and here are the 2025 winners:
Spiel des Jahres: Bomb Busters
Manufacturer description: There is a bomb full of wires and the countdown has started... Who are you gonna call? YOU! To clear the bomb, you need to collaborate with your team of bomb disposal experts! Using the wires on the tile holder in front of you, try and figure out your teammates’ wires. Find and cut identical wires, but watch out, if you cut a red wire: BOOM! Use your equipment wisely to meet the varied challenges which get harder and harder. Tick tock tick tock... Will you figure it out before it’s too late?
Kennerspiel des Jahres (enthusiast's game of the year): Endeavor: Deep Sea
Manufacturer description: In Endeavor: Deep Sea, you head an independent research institute with the goal of developing sustainable projects and preserving the fragile balance of marine life. Throughout the game, you’ll recruit field experts and use their abilities to explore new locations, research dive sites, publish critical ecological papers, and launch conservation efforts.
Kinderspiel des Jahres (best kid’s game): Topp die Torte!
Manufacturer description: In Topp die Torte!, you build your cake layer by layer. Look carefully and choose the right colored cake layers. Clever placement wins you sugar cubes, which you can exchange for valuable victory points. Everyone is always involved, and the tension increases round after round. Who will top the others with their cake in the end?
Congratulations to all the 2025 winners and nominees.
Subnautica 2 causes an industry storm
When publisher Krafton announced it had delayed Subnautica 2 until 2026 and fired the management team, it did not make many waves. However, when it was learned that the delay might cost the developers who were working on the game a $250 million payout, it became a typhoon.
Workers at Unknown Worlds, the developers making the game, released a beta of Subnautica 2 earlier this year. Their owner Krafton claims a delay was important to “give the development team more time” to implement the feedback they received from the beta. However, a recent report from Bloomberg says the delay could cost the developers working on the game $250 million in incentives that were set to be shared among the people making the game if it shipped this year.
Unknown Worlds claims Krafton delayed the game and fired management to prevent them from receiving their bonus. Krafton says they want the game to “meet the expectations,” which apparently includes more content for the game’s early access launch. It is unclear if they will pay the developers the bonus after they called for the delay, but it seems unlikely.
It appears the drama is just beginning for Subnautica 2. Former developers and leadership of Unknown Worlds have filed lawsuits against Krafton. IGN has a nice breakdown of all the details and what is happening behind the scenes with the game. We will post more in future issues of The Games Letter as further details emerge.
Side Quests (more stories worth reading)
🎮 Sony held a State of Play press conference for Ghost of Yōtei showing additional gameplay. They also announced Ghost of Yōtei themed controllers and console covers for the PlayStation 5.
👾 Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa discussed the rising cost of game production, and said “the true value of entertainment lies in its uniqueness.”
✊🏽 After 11 months, the SAG-AFTRA video game actors strike is coming to an end, as the union ratified a new contract that includes raises and AI protections.
🧟 Capcom unveiled their new mobile strategy game, Resident Evil Survival Unit.
🌈 Dragon Age: The Veilguard wins Game of the Year at the 2025 Gayming Awards.
🏀 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Angel Reese and Carmelo Anthony are the NBA 2K26 cover athletes.
🫰 Buy now pay later services are coming to video games, allowing players to finance their in-game purchases.
⛪ Pope Leo XIV signed a Popplio Pokémon card for a fan of the game.
👋🏼 Nintendo announced it is ending its Switch Game Voucher service in January.
👍🏽 Despite initial reports that funding cuts from Microsoft caused Romero Games to close, the studio says they are “doing everything in our power” to stay open.
☢️ Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is coming to PlayStation 5 on November 20, 2025.
🕴️ An EA Japan executive spoke out on the recent Microsoft staffing cuts, saying “if a game was in development for 7-10 years, canceling feels like the worst move.”
🎮 In a new update to The Last of Us Part II, players can experience Ellie and Abby’s story chronologically for the first time.
🤦🏿 GameStop is auctioning off the stapler and staple that destroyed a lunch day Switch 2, along with the console itself, which has been repaired.
👟 Crocs based on the popular Nintendo game Animal Crossing will be available for purchase next month.
🔬 A professor makes the case that Trump’s funding cuts devastate video game research and development.
😢 IGN broke down every video game cancelled in 2025.
🎰 The latest hot table game in Las Vegas: Uno. Draw 4 is even worse when there is money on the line.
🦧 Nintendo and Universal are planning an animated Donkey Kong movie.
New Releases this week:
Check out our article on 12 New Games to Play in July.
7/15: Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream (PlayStation, Xbox and PC)
7/17: Donkey Kong Bananza (Switch)
7/18: Shadow Labyrinth (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and PC)
Thanks for reading. If you enjoy our newsletter, please tell a friend to subscribe!
