Industry Analysis
13articles · no PR · no bullshit
Nintendo's Fastest-Ever Console Is Already in Trouble. Here's Why.
The Nintendo Switch 2 broke every launch record in gaming history. Then the 2025 holiday season happened, Nintendo cut production by 33%, sued the US government, and started thinking about another price hike. Here's what's actually going on.
5 May 2026 · 8 min
Saudi Arabia Just Bought EA for $55 Billion. Here's What to Expect From the Largest Acquisition in Gaming History.
The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia is acquiring Electronic Arts for $55 billion -- the single largest acquisition in gaming history. They've done this before with Scopely. Here's what the track record actually shows, and what it means for Battlefield, The Sims, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age.
4 May 2026 · 10 min
Sony Keeps Replacing Male Leads With Women and Wondering Why the Numbers Drop
The God of War Faye spinoff rumour isn't the issue. The issue is a pattern Sony keeps repeating: take a beloved male character, sideline him, and act surprised when gamers notice. Here's the track record.
1 May 2026 · 10 min
Pragmata Made Men Want to Be Dads and Critics Are Losing Their Minds Over It
Capcom's Pragmata is one of the best games of 2026. It also made a lot of male gamers feel something unexpectedly wholesome. The discourse that followed says more about the critics than the players.
1 May 2026 · 8 min
Hades Is Not a Roguelike and Calling It One Misses What Makes It Special
Hades is the most acclaimed roguelike of the last decade. It is also not really a roguelike in any meaningful sense. The distinction matters because it explains why nothing else can replicate what Supergiant built.
24 Apr 2026 · 9 min
Game Pass Killed the Mid-Budget Game and Microsoft Doesn't Care
Hi-Fi RUSH won every award. Microsoft shut down the studio that made it eight months later. This is not a coincidence. It is what Game Pass does to the games that don't generate subscriptions.
24 Apr 2026 · 9 min
The Elden Ring Difficulty Discourse Is Exhausting and Everyone Involved Is Wrong
Every time FromSoftware releases a game, the internet spends two weeks arguing about whether it should have an easy mode. Both sides of this argument are tedious. Here's the actual take.
23 Apr 2026 · 10 min
The Last of Us Part II Is a Better Game Than the First. The Backlash Was Embarrassing.
The Last of Us Part II is a more ambitious, more technically accomplished, and more thematically complex game than the original. The online backlash against it in 2020 was one of the ugliest things gaming has produced.
23 Apr 2026 · 10 min
The Witcher 3 Is Overrated. There, I Said It.
The Witcher 3 is not the greatest RPG ever made. It is a very good open world game buried under 100 hours of filler, a mediocre combat system, and a fanbase that will not hear a word against it.
23 Apr 2026 · 8 min
Dave the Diver, Stardew Valley, Hades: Why Cozy Games Are the Fastest Growing Genre
The average gamer is in their mid-30s. They have jobs, families, and limited time. Cozy games exist for them. Here's why the genre is exploding and what it means for indie developers.
17 Apr 2026 · 9 min
Hollow Knight: Silksong Has Been in Development for 6 Years. Here's What That Tells You.
Silksong was announced in 2019. It's 2026 and Team Cherry is still working on it. This isn't a scandal. It's a case study in what it actually takes to make a great game.
17 Apr 2026 · 10 min
Balatro Is the Best Game of 2024 and It Was Made by One Person. Think About That.
LocalThunk made Balatro alone, in spare time, for a fraction of what Concord cost. It won Game of the Year. Concord was shut down after two weeks. There's a lesson here.
17 Apr 2026 · 11 min
Why AAA Gaming Is in Crisis (And Why That's Good for Everyone Else)
AAA game budgets have hit $300M+, studios are closing, and publishers are panicking. Here's why that's actually good news for players.
17 Apr 2026 · 8 min