Rock Paper Shotgun has published what it calls the final Christmas Cracker of 2025 under a banner that signals a closing as a new start. The piece is a collaborative effort by eight RPS scribes who spent the year delivering jokes, festive mischief, and a steady stream of writing. It closes twelve months of graft with a wink to readers and a quiet invitation to reconnect in the new year.
Across its pages the spoof unfolds with a mix of self deprecation and affection. The notes describe the eight contributors bearing jokes referencing the long tradition of Christmas crackers and acknowledging the workload that comes with a full year of coverage. The centerpiece gag sits in a cracker style punchline that asks which 4X strategy game is great for your gut bacteria and answers Endless Legumes. The joke lands as a gleeful pun that fits the site's humor while staying grounded in gaming culture.
That gag sits inside a broader frame about January leading and the ongoing work. The notes invite readers to subscribe to Supporters posts, signaling a continuing relationship with the audience beyond the calendar. The line the end is a beginning frames the final cracker as a milestone that doubles as a doorway to the year ahead rather than a curtain fall.
From a cultural perspective the piece matters as a seasonal artifact for gaming journalism. Its humor is gentle but pointed, and its self awareness a touchstone for readers who follow RPS across the year. The accompanying image, a Frankenstein style Christmas motif, adds atmosphere and humor that complements the tone of the text.
Together these elements form a culture artifact that encapsulates how a dedicated gaming site marks the end of a year. The closing joke and the invitation to stay engaged underscore a community that thrives on humor as a social glue as much as on reviews and essays. The final note, a New Year wish, leaves readers with a sense of continuity and renewal rather than finality.