29th August video games round-up: What went wrong with Football Manager 25, and Steam age verification in the UK
Update: That was the world of video games today on 29th August. A full transcript of everything that occurred today is available below if you wish to digest it all at your leisure.
It's Friday at last and we're back with another day of games news, games features and games talks. We'll gather it all here in one handy blog. Games!
We've started the day with a bumper Football Manager interview from Chris Tapsell about what went wrong with last year's edition and what will hopefully go right with this year's edition. There's also been heartwarming news overnight about experienced PC and PlayStation Helldivers 2 players helping new Xbox players get into the game. What borders, I say, what barriers?
Games!
Our live coverage of this event has finished.
Key points- 15:15 pm August 29 2025 PC modders optimise Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, and add playable Kojima
- 14:23 pm August 29 2025 "I've learned to trust my instincts more thanks to playing Karlach" - Samantha Béart reflects on Baldur's Gate 3, stoicism, and... Gordon Ramsay?
- 13:51 pm August 29 2025 Steam users in the UK must now verify their age for mature games
- 13:46 pm August 29 2025 Silksong's release date scared off lots of smaller games
- 13:32 pm August 29 2025 AI use was a worrying trend at Gamescom
- 10:55 am August 29 2025 Indiana Jones and the Great Circle DLC will adjust difficulty levels depending on your progress in the base game
- 10:44 am August 29 2025 Lost Soul Aside developer acknowledges issues despite major day one patch
- 10:09 am August 29 2025 Bloober Team has plans for more horror on Switch 2
- 09:35 am August 29 2025 Over three quarters of Cyberpunk 2077's Nintendo Switch 2 sales were physical
- 09:08 am August 29 2025 Honkai Nexus Anima revealed by developers of Genshin Impact
- 08:55 am August 29 2025 Blizzard's Diablo team votes to unionise
- 08:48 am August 29 2025 A candid look at why last year's Football Manager was canned
- 08:26 am August 29 2025 Tea or coffee?
- 08:26 am August 29 2025 Destiny: Rising launches on mobile today
Destiny: Rising launches on mobile today
Destiny: Rising, a spin-off to Bungie's series, is available on mobile from today.
It's been developed and published by NetEase and offers a brand new story in an alternate Destiny timeline. It launches on both iOS and Android and is free to start, with in-app purchases.
Judging by this cinematic trailer, it has a more comedic, sarcastic tone than Bungie's game. But how does it play? For that, check out the developer preview below.
Will you be trying Destiny: Rising this weekend?
Destiny: Rising | Developer Preview Global Launch Destiny: Rising | Developer Preview Global LaunchWatch on YouTube Ed Nightingale 08:26 am UTCTea or coffee?
Here's a question for your Friday morning: what's your morning routine? Do you always do the same thing? Do you drink coffee or tea or something else? What's your waking-up process?
I'm a coffee person in the morning, but try to not to inhale a cup until an hour after waking up. Apparently it's better for you that way. In the afternoon, I switch to tea. If I drink too much coffee I stare at things and they wobble in my head.
Robert Purchese 08:32 am UTCBig-Smoke says: Tea and coffe? Nah mate vape and a monster.
You monster!
Robert Purchese 08:48 am UTCA candid look at why last year's Football Manager was canned
Image credit: Sports InteractiveSome things are as predictable as rain in the UK, and one of those is the annualised release of a new Football Manager game. But last year there wasn't one. Last year (well, technically this year after a delay) Sports Interactive and Sega made the unprecedented deicsion to cancel Football Manager 25.
Why? That's what Chris travelled to Sports Interactive to find out, and he published his findings - his candid interview with studio boss Miles Jacobson - this morning. It's a fantastic read, a look behind the curtain. An open an honest account of a big-swing game evolution that wasn't ready to release.
But it's not an easy thing to cancel an annualised game. One does not simply withhold it. There's your publisher's annual earnings to think about, there are Premier League and football league licenses to think about. There are your players to think about. There's a lot.
"I don't believe we're going to be disappointing people when we bring the game out. I don't believe that we are going to lose the reputation that we've worked really hard to build up in the 30, 31 years I've been here. We've got a fucking great game! We didn't have a great game in December, and genuinely that's what it completely comes down to. We didn't have a great game."
- The big Football Manager interview: series boss Miles Jacobson on what went wrong with FM25, and what to expect from FM26
2much says: Good morning! Got Lost Soul Aside arriving today, which was a pretty big gamble given I've heard very little about it, but the last big gamble I took ended up being my game of the year. Not expecting that this time but hopefully it's a fun character action game at the very least
I started it last night and enjoyed it. It definitely feels like a game from 15 years ago and the story is a load of rubbish, but combat is satisfying so far!
For anyone looking to give Lost Soul Aside ago, there's a demo available now on both PS5 and PC!
Ed Nightingale 08:53 am UTCmattevansc3 says: Coffee is my upper, tea is my downer. It’s the middle age equivalent to a 90’s rave.
This made me laugh.
Robert Purchese 08:54 am UTC2much says: Tea and then coffee
I know someone else who does exactly the same. They come to their senses with tea and take on the coffee a bit later.
Robert Purchese 08:55 am UTCBlizzard's Diablo team votes to unionise
Image credit: EurogamerBlizzard's Diablo team has voted in favour of unionising, in the wake of June's mass layoffs at Microsoft.
The team is just the latest at Microsoft to form a union with the Communications Workers of America, with over 3,500 employees at Microsoft now in CWA organised unions.
"Diablo workers are the latest to show that California has become a hub for video game worker organising," said CWA local 9510 president Jason Justice. "What's happening here is part of a much larger story about turning the tide in an industry that has long overlooked its labour. Entertainment workers across film, television, music, and now video games are standing together to have a seat at the table. The strength of our movement comes from that solidarity."
- Blizzard's Diablo team forms union seeking protection in wake of Microsoft layoffs
It's interesting to see so many people mention tea. Anecdotally, it feels to me like tea is being edged out, what with the ceasless tide of coffee shops coming in. Coffee shops and Bubble Tea shops, I should say - but do Bubble Tea shops really count for team tea? I'm talking about black, breakfast tea.
I've always thought it a shame, because I grew up around a culture of tea and phrases like "pop the kettle on", as soon as anyone would walk through the door. So it's a relief to see that tea-drinking seems as entrenched here as ever.
Robert Purchese 09:08 am UTCHonkai Nexus Anima revealed by developers of Genshin Impact
A new creature collector game has been revealed by HoYoverse: Honkai Nexus Anima. It's a third-person adventure game where you gather a bunch of weird, wonderful little freaky fellas and use them to complete mini-games and auto-battler style fights.
You can sign up to the closed beta for Honkai Nexus Anima now up until 12th September. There's no word on an actual release date, but prior HoYoverse games have shifted swiftly from betas to full releases in the past, so keep an eye out for more news on this one.
- Honkai Nexus Anima revealed, a spin-off creature collector from Genshin Impact studio
Over three quarters of Cyberpunk 2077's Nintendo Switch 2 sales were physical
CD Projekt Red has shared its latest financial results, where it revealed that over 75 percent of those who purchased Cyberpunk 2077 on Switch 2 opted for the physical release.
- Over three quarters of Cyberpunk 2077's Nintendo Switch 2 sales were physical
Bloober Team has plans for more horror on Switch 2
Image credit: Bloober / EurogamerBloober Team will release its next game, Cronos: The New Dawn, on Switch 2 next month, but has plans for more games on Nintendo's console.
Bloober CEO Piotr Babieno told The Game Business he's a "huge Nintendo fan", especially of its GameCube-era horror games.
"We have some plans," he said. "We are not able to share our vision for the future yet. But definitely Nintendo fans could take a look at Bloober Team."
Could the studio's Silent Hill 2 remake be next? It's currently a console exclusive on PS5, but that's set to expire in October.
- Bloober Team has plans for more horror games on Switch 2 - could Silent Hill 2 be next?
Lost Soul Aside developer acknowledges issues despite major day one patch
Lost Soul Aside is available now, but its developer has acknowledged some issues with cutscenes it plans to optimise in a future patch.
It's a bit worrying, though, when the game has released with a major day one patch promising "comprehensive performance optimisation" among other things. Steam reviews are "Mixed" so far, but media have been unable to test the game ahead of launch.
There's also a demo available on both PS5 and PC if you're keen to give the Chinese action-RPG a go, it's definitely worth a look.
- Lost Soul Aside developer acknowledges cutscene issues, despite major day one patch
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle DLC will adjust difficulty levels depending on your progress in the base game
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle's DLC The Order of Giants will be arriving next week, and as previously announced, will branch off from the Great Circle's Rome location, which those who have played the game know is pretty early on in the grand scheme of things.
So, does this mean that those of us who have made it further than Rome, and thus managed to tuck a few more tricks and such up Indy's sleeve, will have an easy time of it? Well, no, actually.
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle DLC will adjust difficulty levels depending on your progress in the base game
As we reported last week, Two Point Museum has a new free Digiverse update that spoofs video games.
But there's more! The comedy management game also has a crossover with Lovecraftian fishing game Dredge as part of the free update. Check out the trailer below!
Two Point Museum x Dredge Trailer | Free Update OUT NOW! Two Point Museum x Dredge Trailer | Free Update OUT NOW!Watch on YouTube Ed Nightingale 13:18 pm UTCBeem says: Came here for the Helldivers story but it's not here?
Contact advertising standards! Sorry about this. I was referring to news seen on IGN overnight, by some guy called Wesley (?), how Xbox newcomers were thanking veteran Helldivers 2 players for helping them out.
Robert Purchese 13:32 pm UTCAI use was a worrying trend at Gamescom
Image credit: NVIDIA/GamescomSomething Alex always likes to do at Gamescom is swing by the business area, where trade bodies from countries around the world showcase indie games that probably wouldn't otherwise make a show like this. Games made by small, unknown teams.
And something Alex saw this year while playing these games - something he couldn't ignore while playing them - was the amount of AI-generated content they used. Art, especially. And they seemed unashamed about it. "This is the only way we could've accomplished a look like this with our resources," one team told him. Does that make them right or wrong?
Is 'right or wrong?' even the right concept to use when talking about it? The technology is here. It's powerful. What are the guidelines for using it? "It's the most thought-provoking thing I saw at Gamescom 2025," Alex wrote.
- AI was a common theme at Gamescom 2025, and while some indie teams say it's invaluable, it remains an ethical nightmare
Here's a new video of some gunplay in Ghost of Yōtei, Sony's forthcoming follow-up to Ghost of Tsushima. Who brings guns to a samurai fight?!
It's all looking very slick and stylish, and plenty gory. Are you planning to play this once it's out in October?
Ghost of Yōtei - Firearms Gameplay | PS5 Games Ghost of Yōtei - Firearms Gameplay | PS5 GamesWatch on YouTube
Ed Nightingale 13:46 pm UTCSilksong's release date scared off lots of smaller games
Image credit: Bennett Foddy / Team CherryHollow Knight might be a relatively small game compared to, say, a blockbuster like Grand Theft Auto 6, but its power to dominate gaming conversation was demonstrated magnificently last week when the release date was finally announced. This side-scrolling Metroidvania was the headline of the show. Is it any wonder games with similar dates have now revised their plans in order to get out of the way?
I thought it a bit silly when the first few delays were announced, a sort of gaming in-joke (a lot like the perennial wait for Silksong had seemed, actually), but the more delays that came in, the more this seeemd a trend. So I decided to look in more detail at it and I was surprised just how many games had scarpered from Silksong's path. Better yet, I made a special list just for you.
- Hollow Knight: Silksong's release date causes delays for more games than you might think
Akuma says: While we're on the subject of would you rather... Would you rather be able to fly but you lost the ability to taste food or be able to speak to animals but you lost the ability to speak to humans?
Haha - what a question!
I think, for me, fly but not taste food. I don't think animals are that smart? Then again, I have read Facebook comments before...
Robert Purchese 13:51 pm UTCSteam users in the UK must now verify their age for mature games
Image credit: ValveSteam users in the UK must now verify their age in order to access store pages for mature games.
It's all thanks to the new Online Safety Act, with users able to verify by registering credit card details.
Valve has detailed instructions, which you can view in the article below.
- UK Steam users must now verify age to access store pages for mature games thanks to Online Safety Act
2much says: At risk of sounding like a curmudgeon, I'm sick of all these game crossovers. With the exception of games where that's the point, like Smash Bros or Fornite or Astro Bot or whatever, I like when games have worlds and internal consistency and are their own thing. Every indie game under the sun having Dredge content, Dave the Diver content, a Shovel Knight cameo, etc, it sacrifices that stuff and cheapens it.
I hear this! It bugs me particularly in games like Overwatch 2. I don't remember Overwatch 1 doing any crossover content, but I see it a lot in Overwatch 2. It can come across as desperate?
Robert Purchese 14:23 pm UTC"I've learned to trust my instincts more thanks to playing Karlach" - Samantha Béart reflects on Baldur's Gate 3, stoicism, and... Gordon Ramsay?
Image credit: Eurogamer/Diana RaglandLast week, I was lucky enough to sit down with actor Samantha Béart, known for playing Karlach in Baldur's Gate 3. They were an absolute hoot, and left me beaming from ear to ear. You can check out my interview with Sam below.
- Becoming Karlach: Two years after release, Samantha Béart reflects on Baldur's Gate 3, stoicism, and... Gordan Ramsay?
PC modders optimise Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, and add playable Kojima
Image credit: FiendYou can now play as series creator Hideo Kojima in Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater courtesy of a PC mod, despite the fact he won't be playing the game himself.
More seriously, modders have begun optimising the game on PC well before Konami releases any updates. The game has been criticised for poor performance, but that's seemingly a priority for modders over on Nexus Mods.
Still, it's quite funny seeing Kojima as Snake, right?!
Who's going to be playing Snake Eater this weekend?
- PC modders optimise Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater before Konami does, and add Hideo Kojima to boot
The Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds beta is live so that's my weekend sorted! Have a good one all and see you next week for more video game news!
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds - Open Network Test Primer Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds - Open Network Test PrimerWatch on YouTube Ed Nightingale Load more comments Loading
