India, Jan. 12 -- Gaming's been stuck in a pretty weird place for a while now. There are a lot of games scheduled for next year and the year after, and even more remakes than many people remember, and there are a lot of games that seem to have "committee-made" vibes. As a result, it has become much harder to feel excitement about any particular release. But with 2026 on the horizon, I feel as though we've hit a turning point. Game studios are starting to take more risks again, as opposed to simply upping the technical aspects of games (bigger maps or shinier graphics), and instead are actually making significant design choices that allow games to feel unique again.

Open worlds are starting to mature; they are becoming increasingly intell...