Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the critically acclaimed RPG from Sandfall Interactive, was stripped of its Game of the Year and Best Debut Game awards at the Indie Game Awards following revelations of generative AI usage during development. The awards, presented on December 18, 2025, were revoked two days later after the developer confirmed employing AI for placeholder textures that slipped through quality assurance and were patched out post-launch. Organizers cited a strict policy prohibiting AI-generated assets, noting that the game's submission initially affirmed no such use, sparking debates on transparency and AI's role in indie development.
A major gaming outage disrupted Christmas Day festivities on December 25, 2025, affecting thousands of players across platforms like Fortnite, Rocket League, and ARC Raiders, with nearly 35,000 reports for the latter alone. Initially blamed on Amazon Web Services, which denied involvement, the issue stemmed from an authentication failure in Epic Online Services, blocking logins and gameplay. The disruption extended to Steam, Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, and others, including Dead by Daylight and Apex Legends, highlighting vulnerabilities in centralized cloud infrastructure during peak holiday periods.
Xiaomi launched the 17 Ultra in China on December 25, 2025, boasting a Leica-co-tuned quad-camera system with a 50MP 1-inch main sensor and groundbreaking 200MP periscope telephoto lens, powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset and a massive 6,800mAh battery. Priced from CNY 6,999 (about $980) for the 12GB/512GB model, it features a 6.9-inch LTPO AMOLED flat display, HyperOS 3 on Android 16, 90W wired charging, and an IP69 rating. A Leica Edition adds a mechanical zoom ring and exclusive modes, with sales starting December 27; a global release is eyed for early 2026.
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Rumors swirled around Apple's iPhone 18 series, potentially shifting the base model's launch to spring 2026 alongside a budget iPhone 17e, while Pro and Pro Max variants stick to September. Leaks suggest under-display Face ID eliminating the Dynamic Island, a top-left punch-hole selfie camera, variable aperture on Pro cameras, and a 2nm A20 chip for enhanced AI. A foldable iPhone with a 5.4-to-7.6-inch display may debut in fall 2026, marking a split-release strategy.
Other highlights included Samsung's Galaxy S26 series delayed to the February 2026 Unpacked event and the Realme 16 Pro/Pro+ set for January 6 in India with 200MP cameras. Cybersecurity firm Cyble exposed a phishing scam using fake e-Challan SMS to steal banking details via 36 fraudulent domains mimicking traffic portals. These developments underscore AI ethics, service reliability, and aggressive smartphone innovation closing out 2025.
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