Monthly Recap - December Edition

On the very cusp of 2026, we have prepared the YUPLAY Monthly Recap - December edition to include information about some of the biggest gaming experiences of all time, as well as prominent hits across the year and an announcement of a classic game that would make its return very soon!

Ready to close off 2025 with a blast? Let’s deliver on that with a few banging stories that we are certain that you would really like!

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Gathered Almost A Dozen Game Awards This Year!

The 2025 hit game "Clair Obscur: Expedition 33" was clearly the standout winner at the Game Awards this year, it managed in securing the highest prize - Game of the Year as well as nine other awards out of a total of eleven nominations. To express their thankfulness to the fans for their support, the developers promptly released a free DLC appropriately named the “Thank You DLC”, which introduces quite a bit of new content including a playable environment, new music, boss battles, and a much-enhanced Photo mode.

While the game was generally praised for its stunning visuals, magnificent soundtrack and engaging combat, other reviews did note its linearity and lack of depth compared to other RPGs. Despite these minor critiques however, players have shown very strong support for the game.

The project was initiated by Guillaume Broche, who had previously left Ubisoft to create his own dream game inspired by the Final Fantasy series. He collaborated with multiple friends and new developers recruited from platforms such as Reddit and Soundcloud, thus fostering a passionate team over the span of several years.

Not only did the title snatch the Game of the Year prize, "Expedition 33" won various other awards such as the ones for Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, Best Score and Music, Best Performance for Jennifer English as Maelle, Best Independent Game, Best Debut Indie Game and Best Roleplaying Game, deeply showcasing its broad appeal to the whole industry. The Thank You DLC is now available to all players and has been mostly positively received, contributing to the game's success on platforms like Steam, where it holds an Overwhelmingly Positive rating with more than 81,000 reviews given on its page.

Fortnite Gets to Return back to Android and Google Play

One of the most popular games - Fortnite is once again available for download on Android devices through the Google Play Store after a five-year absence. This return follows after a settlement between Epic Games and Google due to a legal dispute started when Epic introduced a way for players to make in-app purchases without giving a percentage cut to neither Apple, nor Google. As a result, both companies eventually removed Fortnite from their stores in 2020.

The return did coincide with the anticipated release of the season seven update for Fortnite. Previously, Android users were able to sideload the game, but this process was somewhat complicated and tedious. Players located outside of the US had trouble to access the game via the Google Play Store, while Epic promised to fix that situation with the appropriate updates.

In July of this year, Google lost an appeal against a ruling declaring its Play Store an illegal monopoly. Recently, Epic and Google agreed to settle down on the case, and Epic is working to get court approval for the settlement. Meanwhile, Fortnite returned to the other main platform - Apple App Store in May after a ruling found that Apple must change its policies and practices. Apple appealed but faced several setbacks, including a recent decision allowing it to charge fees for purchases made outside its App Store.

Epic's CEO, Tim Sweeney, commented on these developments as signs that the "Apple Tax is dead" in the US, signaling a shift toward fair competition in payment systems on iOS devices.

A Release Date for The World of Warcraft: Midnight Expansion Got Announced

The World of Warcraft: Midnight expansion is going to be released on March 2, 2026, as it was announced by Blizzard Entertainment. Players would be able to level up to 90 and explore new and exciting reimagined zones such as Eversong Woods, Zul’Aman, and Harandar. This upcoming expansion would continue the Worldsoul Saga, focusing on Xal’atath, the Harbinger, who brings chaos and threatens the Blood Elf lands.

The expansion introduces Arator’s Journey, a new questline involving Arator, the son of Turalyon and Alleria Windrunner. Players would have to seek out ancient relics of the Light with Arator at the request of Alonsus Faol. Additionally, everybody would have to earn the trust of the Haranir, a new allied race that can join either the Horde or the Alliance and pick from multiple classes, including Druid, Hunter, Mage and others.

There will also be a new specialization for Demon Hunters named the Devourer, which is going to use unique ranged Void abilities. Void Elves could now become Demon Hunters as well.

The World of Warcraft: Midnight expansion will feature new Delves, including Shadow Enclave, Collegiate Calamity, Parhelion Plaza and others. New dungeons such as Windrunner Spire, Magister’s Terrace and Murder Row would also be introduced to the title. New raid adventures are going to include The Voidspire, The Dreamrift and March on Quel’Danas.

Originally, World of Warcraft got released in 2004 and quickly became a hit MMORPG that allows players to create characters and explore an open world in a fine blend between fantasy, steampunk and science fiction. The game includes various races and intimidating creatures like gryphons, dragons and mechanics such as time travel, providing a rich and immersive experience in the genre.

FIFA Goes to Netflix in its Post-EA Era

The first FIFA soccer simulation game after ending its long-lasting partnership with EA would be entirely exclusive to no other than Netflix. This new game, developed by Delphi Interactive, is set to launch next year just in time for the coming FIFA World Cup 2026. EA and FIFA had worked together for nearly 30 years until their paths separated in 2022, making EA continue with its new soccer series title called EA FC.

The upcoming game from Delphi is described as a simulation game, but it would seem to appear as less aimed at hardcore soccer fans, instead putting heavy focus on being accessible to a much wider audience. The CEO of Delphi Interactive Caspar Daugaard, stated that the game is actually intended for anyone to pick it up and enjoy football much more easily. The upcoming FIFA gameplay design would also allow smartphones to be used as controllers, which may influence the game's overall complexity.

This project marks Delphi Interactive's second endeavor, having previously worked on 007 First Light. While the shift in strategy of Netflix focuses on simpler, more approachable games rather than ambitious projects, aligning with their already established plans for interactive titles in 2025.

Carmageddon is Making a Brutal Comeback After Almost a Decade!

Carmageddon: Rogue Shift is going to come sometime next year and it seriously looks mental! The new upcoming title in one of the most popular vehicular combat racing titles, which recently got presented with a total blast would take place in the year 2050!

The graphics are insane; the action has just the right tension and brutality just leaks out of this one in its purest form. In case you are not familiar with this classic gaming franchise there are some legendary entries to experience, but if you are up-to-date on the series, then this news definitely sparked your attention when it hit the social networks and you are eagerly anticipating to get behind the wheel and bash through some zombies on the road of this post-apocalyptic world.

Apart from the traditional destruction derby-like races, getting new or upgraded battle cars with diverse types of weapons, you would go on full campaigns and even fight against bosses for each stage of the game. The levels are not going to be that easy though, as there are multiple pitfalls, traps and obstacles to stop your charge to victory against the other maniacs and their deadly vehicles, plus you need to be on the lookout for the law enforcers and their police cars that would do their best to try and stop you in your tracks.

On the other hand, if you see anyone standing between you and the finish line, you are absolutely encouraged to blow them to bits in order to secure the 1st place in the race.

Fallout Season 2 Has Already Started

Now, in the world of gaming TV, the second season of the Fallout series already began on December 16, 2025, on Amazon Prime Video. However, the entire season would not be available at once; with all of the episodes going to be released weekly until February 4th, 2026.

The show is masterfully based on a video game created by Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky and takes place about 200 years after the Great War of 2077, which caused society to collapse due to almost complete nuclear destruction. The season features actors like Ella Purnell and Kyle MacLachlan and introduces fans to New Vegas, a key location from the game’s world.

This season comes 20 months after the first season. Fans looking forward to the return of characters Lucy, Maximus and The Ghoul can tune in right away.

Additionally, there was a recent issue when Prime Video shared a rather flawed, AI-generated recap of season one, leading to some criticism by fans. In response to this, Amazon decided to completely stop using AI for video recaps on Prime Video.

With this we close the yearly chapter of 2025 and begin to look forward towards what 2026 has prepared for all of us in the world of video games and we are simply thrilled to discover it together with you!

Happy New Year to all of you around the world! Let it be the best one yet!