🥽 The Steam Frame headset is mostly a fan service, rather than a breakthrough that can revive a shrinking VR category. Okay, that's a bit unfair. The Steam Frame does represent genuine technological leaps for XR hardware, but its impact will sadly be limited. 🧵👇

⚰️ Xbox imposing time limits is the final nail in the coffin for the idea that a subscription alone can sustain a cloud gaming service 🧵👇 Xbox announced Game Pass tiers will be capped at 5–15 hours of cloud gaming per month, alongside options to buy extra playtime.

📊🎮 It was a privilege to present at the inaugural Ukie Conference 2026! The event brought together leaders from across the UK games industry for a day of discussion on where it goes next – from regulation and funding, to emerging tech and evolving business models. 🧵👇

📽️ A nice way to bookend the year – talking to CNBC International about where the games industry stands in 2025, and what's ahead. 🦌👇 🔗 Video: www.linkedin.com/feed/update/... Highlights from the conversation in 🧵

🥽 The Steam Frame will be welcomed by the PCVR community that’s felt sidelined by Meta, but will it unlock a new audience? (no) 🧵👇 #valve #steam #steamframe #vr #xr

Silksong and Hades 2 were two of my most anticipated games this year. Sadly, one of them has disappointed me... Yes, one is a metroidvania and other is a roguelike, but both games revolve around challenging, repetitive gameplay - with the games expecting you to die... a lot. 🧵👇

Back in February 2019, when I thought #Silksong was just around the corner 🤣

Me, when playing Battlefield 6 Open Beta over the weekend.

a man with a mustache is wearing a striped shirt and a tie

ALT: a man with a mustache is wearing a striped shirt and a tie

media.tenor.com

📺🎮 I checked out Netflix’s latest tie-in game: no app store, no downloads – just my TV and my phone as the controller. 👇 Golf Mayhem '98 Demo launched with the release of Happy Gilmore 2, a Netflix original film. I gave it a try and recorded the experience (video below). 🧵

☁️ 🎮 Cloud gaming was supposed to be the killer app for 5G, but the dwindling telco partnerships tells a different story Between 2019 and 2022, cloud gaming partnerships with telcos surged – seen as the perfect showcase for low latency and high-speed connectivity. 🧵👇

☀️ No shortage of sunshine or talking points at Develop:Brighton yesterday. We covered a lot on our panel; from policy implications to the need to grow the market beyond its traditional core. 🧵👇 #developbrighton #gamesindustry #gamedev #developconf @developconference.com

🗣️ If you're at Develop:Brighton today, I'll be on a BAFTA-led panel at 12:00 PM, titled "Why Cultural Recognition is Crucial to the Future of the Games Industry" (Room 4) Got a really packed day, but get in touch if you want to catch up! #DevelopBrighton #GamesIndustry #GameDev #Omdia

Hyped to be at Develop:Brighton this week catching up with old pals and new! We have a BAFTA stand in the expo and I'll be hosting this ace chat with the inimitably insightful @nickpoole1.bsky.social, @cassiacurran.bsky.social and @giokinto.bsky.social 📅 Tuesday 8th July | 🕛 12:00pm | Room 4 🎮🤩

🪅 Welcome to the party, Netflix. TV party games was identified as one of the company's key four genres moving forward, but will it pay off? 🤔🧵👇 This scorecard shows how Netflix could carve out a unique position in TV party games to deliver accessible, easy-to-play experiences to its 300M+ subs.

📢 Two weeks to Develop:Brighton! I'll be speaking on the panel titled "Why Cultural Recognition is Crucial to the Future of the Games Industry", led by BAFTA's @lukethehebble.bsky.social 🎮 Why Cultural Recognition is Crucial to the Future of the Games Industry 📅 Tue 8th July | 🕛 12:00pm | Room 4

💥 Today marks the biggest console launch ever, with 14.4 million Nintendo Switch 2 consoles predicted to sell in 2025, according to Omdia. 👇 Switch 2 is poised to outperform the original's debut year, launching into a far stronger market position. 🧵 #nintendoswitch2 #switch2

Happy Switch 2 day! Some of my comments and Omdia sales forecast included in this article by @arjunkharpal.cnbc.com: www.cnbc.com/amp/2025/06/... #Nintendo #Switch2 #NintendoSwitch2

Nintendo Switch 2 hype leads to shortages, special store opening hours

Nintendo says it expects to sell 15 million Switch 2s in the fiscal year ending March 2026. Analysts say that estimate is conservative.

cnbc.com

📱👓 No, XR devices aren’t going to make smartphones obsolete. 👇 As laid out in Omdia's latest free report, mobile devices (especially smartphones) will remain central to the XR experience for most users over the next two decades 🧵 #XR #AR #VR #MR #marketforecast #forecast #report

📈 More than 60 million XR devices could be sold annually by 2035 – and over 200 million by 2045 👇 I wrote a 3,000 word report outlining the most plausible scenario for how XR could develop from now through 2045 – and it's completely 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 to read. 🧵 #XR #AR #VR #MR #marketanalysis #forecast

👓 This is how XR devices are likely to evolve over the next 20 years 👇 We've just published a 3,000 word report outlining the most plausible scenario for how XR could develop from now through 2045 – and it's completely 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 to read. 🧵 #XR #AR #VR #MR #marketanalysis #forecast

Delighted that Omdia's games research team is once again a key contributor to @ukieofficial.bsky.social's annual market valuation 👇 UK consumers spent £7.6bn on video games in 2024; a slight YoY dip, but still much higher than pre-pandemic £5.4bn. Press release and PDF below: 🔗 zurl.co/bs1r3

🕺 “Wii, but without controllers” – is how I describe Nex Playground, which I tested out with my 5-year-old niece (and captured some of the ensuing chaos in this video). 🧵👇 #nex #nexplayground #games #familygaming #livingroomgaming #motiongaming #gamingtrends

Outdoor advertising for second-hand smartphones done right 😂 @backmarketofficial.bsky.social

Turns out I've been ahead of the curve on Switch 2's design all these years (been using these silicone covers/grips from day one, which now I realise kind of look like Switch 2's new look!)

Check it out - includes insightful comments from my colleague James McWhirter 👇

Tomas Franzese@tomasfranzese.bsky.social · last yr.

When I spoke to analysts like @superhys.bsky.social and Omdia's James McWhirter, they seemed confident that Switch 2 and its games will be successful despite their higher prices. www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/nintn...

🎥 Ahead of Switch 2's full reveal, my colleague James and I looked back at five handhelds that defined Nintendo’s always-evolving strategy since 1989. 🔗 Watch the full discussion: shorturl.at/BdXMe #switch2 #nintendo #nintendoswitch2

A great summary of major trends emerging from GDC 2025, including AI's progress in game development, renewed hopes for UGC to drive engagement, and the industry's search for fresh growth. You can read it for free here: 🔗 lnkd.in/e2Yj3kdz #GDC25 #GDC2025

📅 Mark your diaries for our pre-GDC webinar, Ten Big Questions and Answers About the Games Industry in 2025! Details below 🧵👇 #GDC25 #GDC2025 #webinar

🎮📲 Handheld gaming is well and truly back, with the likes of Steam Deck and PS Portal driving renewed interest in dedicated portable gaming. But it’s ironic that the very thing that disrupted the handheld market in the early 2010s – smartphones – often get left out of this conversation. 👇🧵