A gamer's recent year-in-review revealed a deep-seated love for open-world experiences, tracing back to the influence of the 1990s title, Wing Commander: Privateer. The player, whose identity remains private, reported that their most-played games of 2025, according to Steam and PlayStation summaries, heavily favored immersive, open-world titles.
The list included No Man's Sky, Assassin's Creed Shadows, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, World of Warcraft, Meridian 59, and Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon. Exceptions to this trend were Civilization VII and Unreal Tournament, both strategy and competitive titles.
"Privateer taught me that I love games that are spaces for living out whatever fictional life I create for myself," the gamer stated, highlighting the game's impact on their gaming preferences. This sentiment echoes the experiences of many players in the '90s who found Privateer's blend of space combat, trading, and role-playing to be groundbreaking.
Wing Commander: Privateer, released in 1993, allowed players to carve their own path in the Wing Commander universe, choosing to be a pirate, a merchant, or a mercenary. This freedom contrasted sharply with the more linear, story-driven campaigns of its predecessors, Wing Commander and Wing Commander II.
The game's open-ended nature and focus on player agency drew comparisons to Elite, a pioneering space trading and combat simulator from the 1980s. However, Privateer distinguished itself with its richer narrative elements and closer ties to the established Wing Commander lore.
The gamer's continued preference for open-world games suggests a lasting impact from Privateer's design philosophy. The ability to create a unique identity and forge one's own destiny within a virtual world remains a key draw for many players, a legacy that Privateer helped to establish.
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