Farewell, Game Informer, You Served Us Well For 33 Years

I find myself saying "end of an era" all too often in this business. But it's hard to feel any other way after hearing that Game Informer, a print magazine with 33 years of history, is no more. Its owner, GameStop, has already shuttered the Game Informer website blocking access to years of news, reviews, and good gaming vibes. I was just on there a couple of days ago looking for a review of an older game I wanted to see who else remembered.

We all know the math. Print magazines have stuggled as online options grow more plentiful. As someone who transitioned from the newspaper industry to writing primarily online, I have seen these changes and written some form of this story countless times. It never gets any easier.

While the gaming industry makes billions, it has somehow failed to become a safe place to work for so many people. Each passing day brings the closure of another studio. When they worked on a title that didn't do well, it is still sad but understandable. Bungie just laid off 200 people after Destiny 2: The Final Shape earned incredible reviews. Tango Gameworks got shut down by Microsoft after dropping Hi-Fi Rush, one of the best games of 2023.

Unlike the articles I write with the best Madden money plays or NBA 2K dribble moves, I don't pretend to have the solution here. But I sure hope somebody smarter than me can figure it out soon. Some of the companies that make our favorite games are doing stuff they need to be called out on. We need more objective journalists in the room, not fewer.

Game Informer has employed some of the industry's best throughout three decades. Here's hoping the ones displaced by these layoffs find other work sooner rather than later.