That's right -- only independent, reader-funded media can give you in-depth reporting as niche and as middle-age-coded as this.

The first long read from the newest, most British member of our editorial team, @jamiehore.bsky.social!

The Fantasy of Cosy Games is Socialism After the reception that Pokémon Pokopia received, it's become clear that we're all just looking for an escape from late-stage capitalism.

Plagued by fantasies of owning a Nintendo Switch 2 and playing Pokémon Pokopia one day, @maddie-b-a.bsky.social distracts herself by thinking about how the core attraction of today’s most popular cosy games is just socialism.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie As Reviewed By A Four-Year-Old "So many guys from Mario Odyssey" makes this film a must-see, according to my four-year-old son.

My four-year-old son just made his GameSpot debut. You call it nepotism, I call it hard-hitting journalism.

www.gamespot.com/articles/the...

Two red and white glass trophies from the Australian IT Journalism Awards 2026, “Best Gaming Coverage” and “Best Independent Media,” both awarded to This Week in Videogames.

they said our website was good

🏆 best gaming coverage
🏆 best independent media

maybe reader-funded media is good

maybe you would like to support us @thisweekinvideogames.com

I checked out Pokemon Champions last week, and I’m convinced it will become my next obsession. Nearly everything I could have wanted for a Pokemon battle sim.

✍️Article: www.gamespot.com/articles/pok...

📹Video: youtu.be/MsV9O28FI0o?...

Pragmata Preview "I was worried that [hacking] mechanics were a gimmick that could wear thin, but between the mods and enemy variety, I was ravenous to play more."

The initial demos for Capcom's Pragmata were intriguing, but short. After a new 2-hour preview, @superdonk.bsky.social thinks it has the legs for a more expansive experience.

Life is Strange, Episodic Games, and Nostalgia for Communal Media After playing Life Is Strange across a series of communal group sessions, Stu gets nostalgic about a bygone age of episodic storytelling.

Excited by the prospect of the Life is Strange series adaptation, @superdonk.bsky.social reflects on his recent experience with the games, and the nostalgia of 2015, high school friendships, and episodic media.

thisweekinvideogames.com/feature/life... [Paywalled]

A Brief History of Asha Sharma, The New Xbox CEO Microsoft OpenAI president Asha Sharma became Xbox CEO after Phil Spencer retired. So, who exactly is she, and what has she achieved?

Who is Asha Sharma, anyway?

Xbox's new CEO has business experience in everything from insurance, home improvement, and grocery delivery, to Meta products, AI, and even a previous stint on Xbox.

Here's a primer on her career trajectory and experiences to date, which may inform what happens next.

Huge Win 🙌

I told my grandma Phil Spencer retired and she started sobbing. Through the cascade of tears rolling down her face and hyperventilating she muttered “Co-Pilot please draft an email thanking Phil for his brave service in the console wars”

She then died. Her ashes sprinkled at a data center nearby

Wild that Sony bought Bluepoint Games in 2021 AFTER Demon's Souls, and is now shutting them down with zero new games put out since. They canceled a live service-game they were working on earlier this year.

That failed live-service push from Sony continues to have major consequences.

Quarantine Zone Review Quarantine Zone: The Last Check doesn’t know whether it wants to be comedic or somber. So it just feels aimless.

Reviewed that Quarantine Zone game and did not have a fun time. Check out the full review for the fully formed thoughts on it.

thisweekinvideogames.com/review/quara...

This is me with Persona 4. I applaud this behavior 👏👏

How MGS's Solid Snake Joined Rainbow Six Siege We chatted with Ubisoft and Konami developers about Rainbow Six Siege's upcoming Metal Gear Solid crossover.

chatted with Ubisoft and Konami devs about Solid Snake in Rainbow Six Siege and wrote about it! www.gamespot.com/articles/how...

firewatch sunset

spent the day writing about my favorite doomed relationship and love in games and real life. this one's a little all over the place

happy valentines day, firewatch is for yearners www.underleveled.xyz/firewatch-is...

Red Dead Redemption 2, Westworld, And The Hunt For The Final Easter Egg Like Westworld's Man in Black, this community is working to uncover what they believe is the last unsolved mystery hidden in Red Dead Redemption 2.

Got a absolute killer long read on @thisweekinvideogames.com for the weekend:

@sambarsanti.bsky.social dives deep into the communities convinced there's "one last mystery" left to solve in Red Dead Redemption 2, speaks to one of the main sleuths, and ties it all back to Ed Harris in Westworld.

Geralt of Rivia Would Do Well on Tinder, Thank You Very Much Reigns developer Nerial talks about Reigns: The Witcher, and creating a "fanfiction generator" for the iconic IP.

Finally, a Witcher game where you play as Dandelion.

@maddie-b-a.bsky.social talks to developer @nerial.bsky.social about how Reigns: The Witcher uses the swipey narrative strategy format to play with the lore of the Witcher universe, and about Geralt's hypothetical prospects on Tinder.

More showing up for good people’s work and more telling your favorite creators their shit is good when they post it

@platanoranger.bsky.social stays making incredible work, this review is no exception.

Cairn Review - An Uphill Battle Worth Taking On Cairn's perilous climb makes for a gorgeous and grueling drama.

I reviewed Cairn. www.gamespot.com/reviews/cair...

Resident Evil Requiem Preview Legacy and expectation can either bolster or hinder an experience. But Resident Evil Requiem seems to handle these two forces well.

"A crazed infected doctor is swinging a chainsaw... Leon, ever the joker, doesn’t yell, doesn’t scream, and is in fact very calm as he disdainfully looks at the zombie doctor, uttering:

'I think I want a second opinion.'"

Here's @superdonk.bsky.social on three hours with Resident Evil Requiem:

I spent the weekend trying to process what's happening in my city of Minneapolis, Minnesota by creating this video. youtu.be/W1dyNcRGRXY

Ask Us Anything! – TWIV Mailbag Volume 1 Supporters ask, we answer! The first edition of the TWIV Mailbag features insights on snacks, work/life balance, Shakespeare, and games that made us cry.

One of the perks of financially supporting This Week in Videogames, besides sustaining truly independent, ad-free games coverage, is that you get the semi-regular chance to ask the Skill Up and TWIV crew anything you want.

Here's the first edition of the TWIV Mailbag! [Paywalled]

Please, Stop Using Gen Z To Rationalise AI Slop Maddie Agne refuses to let her generation be implicated in the enshittification of games through AI slop.

Real-life young person @maddie-b-a.bsky.social is tired of commentators using Gen Z as a scapegoat for the rise of AI slop, and tired of those using the demographic as a reason to keep churning it out.

"Let's level with each other — no one likes being told what they think less than young people."

a list of google folders, from "test episodes" to season 1 (2022) to season 5 (2026)

feels wild to make this Google folder, ngl

We're looking for a News Editor to join TWIV. Ideal candidate would have proven experience with:

- Working in news for a games outlet
- Conducting original reporting
- Mentoring junior writers

...and genuinely enjoy writing news, diving deep, and talking to people. UK timezone preferred. Email me.

Tunic: Fight Back With Me Knowledge is power.

I'm increasingly horrified by what I see happening around me and often feel powerless. But there are so many ways to resist.

These are my thoughts on fighting back in one way I know how: With indies.

Stu Kimball's Top 3 Memory-Making Games of 2025 Stu Kimball, who's always playing something unexpected, shares his Top 3 games that evoked the best memories of days gone by.

For our Best of 2025 series, we asked staff to share their favourite game experiences of the year (and they didn’t necessarily need to be new).

@superdonk.bsky.social, who’s always playing something unexpected, shares the games that both made new memories and evoked those of days gone by.

Patrick Dane, This Week in Videogames News Editor, Dies Patrick will be remembered for his passion and enthusiasm for his work and the games industry, and as a cherished colleague and friend.

Patrick Dane, longtime games and entertainment journalist and News Editor at This Week in Videogames, has died in a motor vehicle accident. He was 34 years old.

Stu Kimball's Top 3 Memory-Making Games of 2025 Stu Kimball, who's always playing something unexpected, shares his Top 3 games that evoked the best memories of days gone by.

Not a traditional GOTY list by any means, but a short list of some things I loved playing this year!

thisweekinvideogames.com/feature/stu-...