For over three decades, Game Informer has been a reliable source for gaming coverage, pioneering what games media would later become. It was a video game magazine bankrolled and supported by GameStop, featuring exclusive coverage on highly anticipated releases such as Dragon Age: The Veilguard and Hades 2, among many others.
However, after 33 years, the outlet has been shuttered, with all staff laid off and the website wiped from the internet in a matter of minutes. Many are angry at GameStop, feeling that the outlet deserved better treatment and recognition for its contribution to the gaming industry.
The closure of Game Informer has left a void that will never be filled. Former staff members took to social media to express their heartfelt goodbyes, only for GameStop to delete the official Game Informer account, causing further outrage.
The sudden closure blindsided the staff, leaving them with no time to back up their work or process their job loss. The closure also means that decades of content, including exclusive coverage of games like Dragon Age: The Veilguard, has been lost with no way to recover it.
Despite the closure, the outpouring of support for Game Informer from writers, developers, and former staffers across the industry has been heartwarming. The closure of Game Informer highlights the challenges faced by creative endeavors in the face of corporate decisions driven solely by profit.
The legacy of Game Informer lives on, and there is hope for a celebration that will do justice to the outlet’s undeserved closure. The closure of Game Informer was a short-sighted corporate decision that deprived the industry and its audience of a respected and knowledgeable voice.
