During the day, I wrote an article about what feels like will happen in 2025, a year that looks very hot in advance - but mainly thanks to only two things. That is when Switch 2 and Grand Theft Auto VI will be released.

Of course, we can discuss the latter for as long as we want, but let's instead focus on something we may not have talked about so much - namely the marketing rights. Sony has bought these, which feels very heavy. Having the Playstation visible in all the commercials for the latest Grand Theft Auto is of course worth its weight in gold and thanks to the Playstation 5 Pro and the lack of a PC version - Sony can also claim that they offer the best version of the game.

But... Lately, there has been frequent talk of a delay. If it will really be like that, I don't know, of course, but it's certainly not impossible. If the game is postponed a year and comes in 2026 instead, things can get really interesting. Since Microsoft hasn't upgraded its Xbox Series S/X halfway through and is already talking about a new console in the works, it seems pretty reasonable that it will launch in 2026.

There are a couple of factors that have to coincide here, mainly that GTA VI is delayed by about a year and that Microsoft's new console will really arrive in the fall of 2026 - but it's not completely unreasonable, and in that case Sony has paid dearly to be able to say that they have the best version of the game when Xbox Next will be several straws sharper.

That Microsoft should be able to show the best version of the game is of course a huge feather in their cap, and they don't even have to pay for it. And I think this is a scenario that worries Sony a lot. 

A fairly normal GTA delay could seriously sabotage Sony's marketing plans.

If the latest rumours are to be believed, the Switch 2 will be close to the PlayStation 4 Pro in terms of performance rather than a regular PlayStation 4 (as previously claimed), and back in May it was confirmed that the device will be shown by March 31 at the latest - meaning we don't have to wait much longer for the results.

I'm really looking forward to the Switch 2, but the performance thing is one of the things I care about the least. It's simply not for that console that I'll play the most photorealistic titles and Nintendo is phenomenal at working with what they have. The PlayStation 4 Pro was released in 2016, which means that we are talking about nine-year-old hardware and thus over a console generation in time.

Therefore, I couldn't care more about the talk of whether it will be like a Playstation 4 Pro or Playstation 4, because it's old hardware regardless, and I'm sure Nintendo will deliver great things with what they have on hand. 

Maybe it's even better but the weaker option because it means a cheaper console and likely higher sales = more games.

Just over a year ago, I wrote a blog post called "Can it even get better than Mario Kart 8?", a question I definitely think is relevant. I'm not sure I want Nintendo to change a single thing because the game is perfect.

Ideally, I probably just want new tracks, karts and drivers as well as a little tweaking of the items (it's too easy to be first, while the one who is third or fourth will be completely shot to pieces in the mess behind, and the boomerang is really useless). I know that Nintendo loves to innovate and I suspect that they will throw in some new gimmick or similar that in the end will make it not feel as sharp.

But this isn't the only perfect game Nintendo has, because for Switch they also released Smash Bros Ultimate - and I really can't think of how it can be better.

Should they once again license all old characters + a large number of new ones? Add at least 30 new fighters and lots of more maps and game modes? So create a kind of Ultimate+? Is it realistic to think that it could happen and that the game would remain balanced? 

On the forum Resetera , a user recently asked "Keep 'Ultimate' going on Switch 2 and add DLC-fighters OR do a brand new game with lots of characters cut?" - and this got me thinking. Maybe the game has reached the end of the road? There are already over 80 fighters (closer to 90, depending on how you count), how many will they be able to deliver and at the same time offer Switch 2 graphics?

The question is whether I don't think - unlike in the case of Mario Kart - that it's time to reboot the series. Reduce the number of characters significantly and seriously change things, and create something new Nintendo can continue to build on in the future.

What do you think, what should Nintendo do with the next Smash Bros?

Unlike Petter who has spent the entire second season of Squid Game, I only had time to watch half of it. It's probably the single series I've been looking forward to the most this year so my hopes have been high. So the series lives up to what I hoped for. The answer must be both me and no.

Things take a lot more time here and it's building up for something bigger slowly. It's something I normally like, but Squid Game really takes its time to the point that I find it slow. It also ties into the first season at a level of detail that makes me wish I had rewatched the series for season two.

With this out of the world, things really start to get going at halftime. That it would be as good as in season one, no one probably thought (it's really a phenomenon that lives on the element of surprise), but considering how high a level it was - an almost as good one goes a long way for me. There is a more interesting cast of characters here, the intricacies outside the games are better substantiated and I care more about the stories that run parallel to the main story.

The political aspect of Squid Game, with its edge against capitalism, feels a little surprisingly somewhat toned down this time around - possibly a result of the fact that the series today is crazy capitalist with all sorts of guest appearances, spin-offs, reality shows and sequels. I also think it felt a bit strange that a trans character got a primary school presentation of what trans is, something that made an obvious element feel a bit shoehorned. I also note that the series, at least initially, feels almost more East Asian than season one, which I assume will make a lot of decisions feel really strange to many.

Now I'm looking forward to watching the rest of the episodes during the weekend and will return with my overall verdict for the week.

Really violent and surprisingly familiar cozy.

As you may have noticed, I've been away for a few days, with a lack of blogs as a result. The reason is that I've been to Kiruna, something I normally always like because I have thick relatives there. This time, however, the reason was less fun.

A few weeks ago, my grandmother died, an absolutely amazing person I always looked up to, and who was my last remaining grandparent. It resulted in a very nice funeral, but also the opportunity to gather the whole family, which is still very nice, with the caveat that the circumstances would have liked to have been different.

Kiruna is always fascinating to visit, even though I've been there so many times before, it's exciting with the nightly earthquakes (fully noticeable) after blasts in the mine and associated landslides. During the night towards Friday, it has one of the largest I have known in the area. In addition, it is all a bit strange with a city that moves to escape mining collapses and the polar night that means that there is no sun at all from the beginning of December to the beginning of January.

Well, the funeral cost a little Christmas spirit of course, but Christmas will be anyway and hopefully it will feel really Christmas when Donald Duck starts later in the day.  Some Christmas presents and hopefully a long walk - and some video games. With that said, so Merry Christmas everyone.

What does your Christmas Eve look like today?