Spotify changed the way we consume music, but it also changed the way brands engage with customers — particularly towards the end of the year.
A couple of weeks ago, I opened my banking app to see how much damage Christmas had done to my finances thus far, only to find that my bank now does a "Wrapped" style "celebratory" overview of the past year of poor financial decisions. I was mortified, but it was also a reminder of how popular Spotify's "Wrapped" has become.
If you live under a rock, you may be unaware that every year, music service Spotify analyzes your musical habits over the past year and presents them in a shareable video format, showcasing your favorite artists and songs of the past year. Spotify Wrapped proved so popular that every company begun doing its own "Wrapped," from PlayStation, to YouTube, and occasionally Xbox too — but not for 2026.
Some of you have been asking me if Xbox would be doing its own "Year in Review" style recap of your gaming habits for 2025. My sources suggest that (as you might expect given that it's now the 18th), that Xbox is not doing a "Wrapped" this year. And there's potentially a good reason.
Next year will kick off a confluence of major anniversaries not just for Xbox, but some of its subsidiary properties too. Xbox is having its 25th anniversary, alongside Halo itself. Blizzard is also having its 35th anniversary, and Bethesda is having its 40th anniversary too. Xbox was launched as a brand on November 15, 2001. Blizzard launched in February, 1991, and Bethesda launched in June, 1986 (ironically sharing a 40th anniversary with me!)
As such, a lot of the "marketing budget" that would've typically been allocated to something like an "Xbox Wrapped" is being poured into efforts to celebrate these major milestones for Xbox, its brands, and some of its games.
For sure, I'm told Microsoft has some big plans to celebrate Xbox's 25th anniversary in 2026, which is why you've seen some decreased activity for Xbox community events in 2025. Some of that budget was moved through to next year to accommodate.
Blizzard is having its first public Blizzcon event next year for a while, which is tipped to its its biggest ever (and most expensive ever), as it reveals new content for Diablo, World of Warcraft, and quite possibly StarCraft too. The promo materials I received for Blizzcon included logos for Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, and StarCraft as well — signifying that Blizzard still regards the sci-fi game series as a pillar franchise.
Bethesda is also planning to launch new Starfield content in 2026, including a PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2 version I'm told. Bethesda recently teased that Fallout is being worked on in a big way, and perhaps we'll catch a small glimpse at Elder Scrolls 6 next year as well. We also have a new Halo remake dropping in 2026, alongside other new potential entries in classic Xbox franchises like Fable, Gears of War, and Forza as well.
I imagine that Xbox will do a bigger and more impressive "Xbox Wrapped" style moment for 2026, similar to what it did for Xbox's 20th anniversary back in 2021 with the Xbox Museum. Xbox seems to do these types of things for bigger anniversary beats, rather than an annualized program.
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I played a ton of games this year, with highlights being Clair Obscure: Expedition 33, The Alters, Atomfall, and Ball x Pit. My favorite games of 2025 were, ironically, older games launched prior, though. I'd been hitting Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader pretty hard, running through all of its released DLC and prepping for the Dark Heresy sequel. I've also been loving Valheim this year, and I suspect that will probably replace Rogue Trader as my most played game of the year as well soon.
What have you been playing this year? What are you looking forward to seeing most in 2026? Let us know in the comments!
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