Light and Shadow Sweeps Awards: How a New IP Beat Established Franchises

The biggest surprise in gaming for 2025 wasn't another AAA delay—it was two new IPs dominating the market. Light and Shadow: Expedition 33 became one of the year's most awarded games, while Cognition Existence hit over a million sales with a 96% positive rating on Steam. Meanwhile, established franchises like Call of Duty saw fluctuating player interest.

Compare Light and Shadow to traditional sequels and the contrast is stark. Sequels have built-in fanbases and proven mechanics—theoretically a safe bet. New IPs build worlds and systems from scratch, carrying far more risk. Yet players voted with their wallets, tired of "same game, different coat" sequels and hungry for unexplored territory. Publishers like Capcom clearly spotted this shift.

Younger players are moving away from traditional AAA narrative-driven titles toward open sandbox games like Minecraft. New IPs fill that gap: AAA production values combined with fresh worlds and innovative mechanics, unburdened by franchise baggage.

Cognition Existence's million-unit sales rank among indie game peaks, though still below the multi-million benchmarks of legacy IPs. But that 96% approval rating tells the real story—a new IP without franchise halo can still command market attention. The message to the industry: innovation outvalues nostalgia. Players want surprise, not callbacks.