Episode 91

Episode 086: The Year in Review 2025

Published on: 31st December, 2025

And that’s a wrap, folks! Well, after this season finale it is. Listen to us talk about the year in gaming that was 2025, a look towards next gen (whether we want it or not), and get into the nitty gritty about the state of the podcast. We’re off for six weeks but don’t fret; episodes will be releasing every week that we’re gone. See you in 2026, a totally real year that’s about to happen!

00:00 Recording the end of season stuff is wild

03:51 Xbox making every wrong move imaginable in 2025

35:35 Another phenomenal year if you play video games, another terrible year if you make or cover them

53:17 Combating the doomsaying in video games

01:17:35 AI is EVERYWHERE now, and we hate it

01:41:44 Looking towards next gen: what we want vs what we expect

02:07:41 The state of The Stage Select

Theme song and interstitial music by Megan McDuffee: https://meganmcduffee.com

Logo and artwork by John Gholson

Announcer: John Gholson

Join our Discord, learn about how you can support the show, and more: https://linktr.ee/TheStageSelect

Email: thestageselectpod@gmail.com

Copyright 2024 Space Monkey Mafia Productions


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About the Podcast

The Stage Select
Video Game Variety Show
Welcome to The Stage Select: a video game variety show hosted by Julian Titus and Justin Hamm! We guarantee that we'll talk about video games. Beyond that, you never know what (or who!) to expect each week.
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About your hosts

Julian Titus

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Since first seeing a Galaga cabinet in the arcade at the age of 5, Julian has always been fascinated by video games, leading to a lifelong obsession. He dabbles in game collecting, history, and industry analysis, but most of all, he loves talking about video games! Inspired by podcasts such as 1up Yours, The Giant Bombcast, and Rebel FM, Julian has been podcasting since 2011, and has no plans on stopping anytime soon!

Justin Hamm

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Julian told me I had to make a bio on here. I don't know how to write them. Here's some things about me. I eat chips sometimes. I enjoy lying about boat ownership. I have another podcast called This Is Video Games where I'm Justin Hamm and I talk about video games with weird adult themes... Like being naked and stuff. Those games. I should make more of it. I don't know what else to add. Hopefully this fulfills my mandated biography writing. Thank you for your time to the 6 people who will read this. Oh! Im also on The Stage Select Podcast... Or I will be. I will have to update this when it starts officially.