Last year, GameStop shut down Game Informer, laying off all its staff and putting an end to one of the last remaining video game magazines still published in the United States. But now, cryptic posts on social media hint that the publication may make a return.
On Bluesky, the Game Informer account, which had not posted since July of last year, returned to life with a short video featuring the publication’s farewell message. At the bottom of the screen, code appears with the words “Continue” as though it were an arcade game asking if you wanted to put in more quarters to keep playing. The screen then flashes to black with a date, March 25th, suggesting a launch or announcement next week.
At the same time, several former Game Informer staff, including director Brian Shea, shared the post, strengthening the idea the magazine is on its way back while also icing the fear that GameStop was somehow reviving the publication without the staff the company laid off in August. Additionally, former staff members posted videos of a “continue” screen with a copy of Game Informer in the background, with the animation moving the cursor onto “yes.” Taken together, the teasers suggest Game Informer is coming back with its former staff returning to lead the publication.
The Verge has reached out to GameStop and former staff at Game Informer to confirm the news. In an email, Shea said that he can’t comment at this time but encouraged checking out the social media posts of his former colleagues. With the continued shrinking of digital media putting thousands of journalists out of work, especially in video games, it’s incredibly rare that something good happens. While we don’t quite know what form this announcement will take on March 25th, I think we can tentatively say, Game Informer’s getting the band back together.
