The video game industry pays tribute to Game Informer

GameStop shocked the games industry Friday morning by shutting down Game Informer and laying off its entire staff.

The gaming retail company announced the news on its now-deleted X (formerly Twitter) account with a statement that read: “After 33 thrilling years of bringing you the latest news, reviews, and insights from the ever-evolving world of gaming, it is with a heavy heart that we announce the closure of Game Informer. From the early days of pixelated adventures to today’s immersive virtual realms, we’ve been honored to share this incredible journey with you, our loyal readers. While our presses may stop, the passion for gaming that we’ve cultivated together will continue to live on. Thank you for being part of our epic quest, and may your own gaming adventures never end.”

With the magazine having its heyday of the 1990s and 2000s, it felt like every player had some memories that involved Game Informer. Growing up, I would rush to the magazine racks at Publix or Barnes and Noble to pick up every video game magazine I could get my hands on for Sonic the Hedgehog coverage. Game Informer was no exception.

Years later, as a young adult in my early days in games journalism, I subscribed to the magazine with money from my day job to support my peers. Every issue that came in the mail made me appreciate both the words they wrote about the games they covered and the beautiful artwork that graced the covers. The publication’s creativity and passion for games was unmatched, something that many in the video game industry aspired to — myself included.

In memory of Game Informer, we reached out to developers, journalists, and more professionals in the video game industry to ask them this simple question: “What did Game Informer mean to you?”