Game Informer and its lasting impact on the games industry

“STAR FOX LEADS THE GAMECUBE INVASION.”

Six simple words I obsessed over as a gnarly year of school ended for the summer. Game Informer #99 is one of those ‘imprinted into my psyche’s touchstones; one that sincerely shaped who I am today. “Touchstone” is actually the perfect term to describe Game Informer. As a 32-year-old individual myself, Game Informer was always present; a comfortable escape that helped fuel my love for games throughout my life. As a kid, it was a must-read for discovery, which, in hindsight, seemingly ignited my desire to produce indie game showcases as an adult.

Game Informer and the astonishing staff, both past and present, will forever remain a cornerstone for creativity and outstanding journalism. Between the thoughtful columns, the outstanding documentaries, the inspiring features, and beyond, it’s hard to foresee another outlet step up to the plate and go as hard as the Game Informer crew has and achieve the level of quality the staff were able to reach daily. The loss of Game Informer is monumental and, honestly, still quite hard to process a day or so later. 33 years is a heck of a run, but it’s one that should have lasted another 333 years.

We take for granted how easy it is to get video game news today. When I was growing up, it wasn’t something that came in waves. Any information I got came from a handful of magazine subscriptions. I was a regular Nintendo Power and Electronic Gaming Monthly reader, but the most impactful subscription I owned was to Game Informer. The publication was indispensable for a young kid interested in gaming. It offered sharp criticism, long-form reporting, and exclusive access to games that helped me better demystify a secretive industry.

Even when the web took over, Game Informer remained one of the best places to learn about video games thanks to a dedicated team that cared about the craft. Video games are better for the bar it set, and its immeasurable influence will live on in websites like this and the game industry itself, one shaped by its voice.

As a developer, nothing was cooler than seeing your game in Game Informer. We went out and bought physical copies of every issue they covered our games in. It was always a dream to be on the cover one day. Sadly, that day will never come now. RIP Game Informer. You were a good magazine. You will be missed.

I’ve been reading Game Informer for as long as I can remember, so I was really saddened to hear about them shutting down. It feels like the gaming industry just can’t catch a break the past couple of years. I think there’s something really special about physical media that brings people together. All of the time, effort, and love everyone at GI put into each issue meant a lot to all the passionate gamers who read it (myself included!) and enriched the gaming community that much more. Especially at a time where the world is tumultuous, gaming is an escape, so to lose a piece of media that was so integral to the gaming community is a big loss.

Game Informer was by far the best part about the GameStop Rewards card. I grew up reading it, and it was always a surreal honor when our games were written up in it. They helped put us on the map by nominating us for best of show awards at E3 when we were young devs trying to get noticed. Over the years, they gave us thoughtful coverage, detailed reviews, and even some GOTY awards. It feels like a major loss, and I hope the current staff lands somewhere great

I was an intern at GI in 2016 and it completely changed the trajectory of my career, not just then, but years later as well. The connections I made there and the work I got to do has lifted me up immensely. Not to mention I am going on almost a decade of knowing and loving the friends I made there. It was such a respected voice in the games space that had a weight of integrity and honesty to it. It’s such a waste that it is just being tossed away after three decades. It’s so incredibly frustrating.

As a former GameStop employee, the abrupt closing of Game Informer hit me particularly hard. These were my co-workers. The video game industry depends on a free press for more than just reviews and guides. Game Informer will truly be missed.

My history with Game Informer goes all the way back to the ’90s when I was a manager for a FuncoLand game store. Today, I have two young kids who, for obvious safety reasons, don’t have access to the internet yet. They are avid gamers and excited readers and very much loved getting their game information from the Game Informer magazines. I keep the latest on rotation in my office on the occasion I have visitors. They will be sorely missed.

Everyone had super-high standards and working there so young and early into my writing career (I was 18 for most of my internship) really humbled me and showed me how far I had to go without making me feel insufficient or belittled. I wasn’t out as neurodivergent at the time, but I disclosed my ADHD to the editor, who was my mentor, and he was really nice and understanding about it. It’s part of what drove me to be public about it.

While I can’t speak for every single developer, I’ve talked to several over the years who held the magazine in very high regard. As you’d expect, a lot of game developers grew up steeped in gaming culture, so for many of us, Game Informer was one of the few constants we could turn to (this is especially true of veteran game developers). And of course, there’s a bit of pride that comes with having your game featured in an issue, or better yet, on the front cover. Just today, I was chatting with a fellow game dev and friend of mine, and what she said hit me hard: “It was a silly dream to one day have a game that was the cover story.”

Speaking as someone who has also been writing about and reviewing games for over a decade, it’s hard not to feel a sense of dread when it comes to Game Informer’s sudden closure. Not so much because it signals a changing of the guard when it comes to games media, but rather because it’s a reminder of how little traditional games media is valued and how the hard work of incredibly talented writers can be tossed aside at the drop of a hat.