Game File
A newsletter for people who are curious about the business and culture of video games, from a reporter who has been on the beat for 20 years.
Three red flags for the game industry after Ubisoft’s latest shutdown
Review: Indiana Jones' excellent new video game
Monument Valley 3 was designed to (maybe) improve the world
What they made last time: Twin sisters fighting Nazis
A wildly popular pandemic video game gets a surprise sequel
A win for U.S. gamers with disabilities was just reversed
It was tricky to write about video games this week
A horse game went viral, and a horse game expert feels vindicated
Oh, my kids actually like PlayStation's new Lego game
Interview: Phil Spencer is big on Indiana Jones, but is wary of overdoing it with licensed games
How Nintendo found a possible pirate
Interview: Microsoft's Phil Spencer has a lot to say about Xbox's game line-up
The Wii U gets the last laugh
The PS5 Pro doesn't feel $200 better right now
Calls to boycott Wordle, Connections show where game industry strikes could go
American kids are playing fewer video games, survey says
Scoop: PlayStation's Wolverine creative director is now leading Xbox’s Perfect Dark
New law could help gaming industry by clarifying what video games are
Microsoft CEO's pay will be tied to Xbox more than ever in 2025
Why Animal Well is 10x bigger on Xbox (and 3x on PlayStation)
Scoop: Netflix shuts down 'AAA' Team Blue gaming studio, amid gaming shake-up
The best new PC game demos I played from Steam Next Fest
A top game streamer’s apology hits some familiar (and unfamiliar) notes
It's a tricky time for Destiny to come to cell phones
My chat with Jason Schreier, who just wrote the book on Blizzard
Mario's last big Switch adventure?
Nintendo's new $100 clock is the welcome return of weird Nintendo
Paradox Interactive's leaders think you deserve an explanation
In our house, the new Zelda is a great multiplayer game
An ambitious competitor to The Sims is in the works, for some personal reasons
Ubisoft in crisis mode (again)
Valve tells judge, not the public, why it dropped Steam’s forced arbitration clause
How Astro Bot's iconic PlayStation bots were made
New law will change how always-online games are sold, at least in California
A brief Star Wars Outlaws Endgame Q&A [Spoilers]
What they're fixing in Star Wars Outlaws, and why
The perfect video game for 2024
The divisive return of Flappy Bird, and the untold, decade-long chase to claim the game's name
Nintendo and the Pokémon Company sue Palworld maker Pocketpair [Update]
A new game publisher is all about brain-breaking PC strategy games (and making them easier to get into)
EA isn't making The Sims 5, as it 'disrupts the sequel model'
My kids’ first PlayStation game
Microsoft to cut 650 more gaming jobs [Update]
Sony PlayStation’s headcount was flat this year, snapping three years of growth
Sony to sell a more powerful $700 version of the PS5
Hands-on with Nintendo’s next bold Zelda game
Star Wars Outlaws really clicked for me in hour 11, or maybe it was hour 17
How the hideous beauty of an unusual Capcom game came to be
What's new is old, as remakes fill Nintendo's newest showcase
Sony’s new game Concord has an unexpectedly lovely map
New Madden’s lack of launch week review scores was partially by EA’s design
Microsoft's Indiana Jones twist: It's back to being a PlayStation game, too
Epic’s Tim Sweeney: Fighting Apple and Google has cost Epic about $1 billion
I'm really enjoying Arco, a gorgeous pixel-art western
It’s video game delay season. And release date season, too.
The surprises that followed Animal Well’s near-perfect launch
A cat role-playing game, reviewed by my twins (age 7 1/2)
This fall's push for a video game industry code of ethics
Saving Game Informer: The effort to protect gaming history after GameStop's shutdown
Two video game previews that almost got away
Bungie's deep job cuts were in the works prior to Destiny's most recent release, sources say
Playing Pokémon by ear
Arranger is a smart new puzzle game that’s free, if you have Netflix
Video game actors to go on strike over AI
Kamala Harris’ weird video game cameo
The average age of video game makers keeps going up
This was 2024’s best week of new video games
Take Two warns investors that review bombings can hurt profits
Nintendo puts more women in charge in Japan, but is not chasing a 'specific target'
Ubisoft fine print reveals small CEO pay bump, a nixed Driver show and more
What to make of Microsoft’s Game Pass overhaul
A former Fallout artist on life after the game industry
My kids’ favorite games of 2024, so far
How PlayStation engineered its next great game
A few things I learned about Star Wars Outlaws
In New York, experts wonder how games can help save the world
An extraordinary Netflix-backed game turns sign language into gameplay
Exclusive: Palworld’s lead creator on his wild 2024, biggest dream for the game, and more
Playing Elden Ring, two years late
One of 2024’s coolest gaming secrets has been hiding in plain sight
Nintendo's Next Zelda Game Lets You Play As Zelda [Update]
Some Made-Up Summer Game Fest Awards
Two (or is that 51?) fascinating new video games about...video games
Assassin’s Creed Shadows developers talk Animus, Yasuke backlash and more
No newsletter today, but...
New Gears of War game will be somber, linear and very detailed
Xbox focuses on impressive games, not the elephants in the room
The story behind a head-turning billboard mourning game studio shutdowns
Five Nights At Freddy’s creator made $26 million in series’ first two years, records show