Editorial decision has been finalized for Issue #4, thank you to everyone who pitched! I am still open to pitches for Checkpoints if you've got a great idea. As a reminder, Checkpoints are single essays that publish in between the quarterly issues of Deleted Saves. Check out the first one below:

Working on redesigning the site to be more in line with the quarterly release format. Will probably launch it with Issue #3 next month.

I am so pleased every time I think about how we got @ashlikeadragon.bsky.social to write about Yakuza for Issue #2. We are lucky as hell to have such skilled writers among us. Find it below: www.deletedsaves.com/please-let-t...

ICYMI — last week, @deletedsavesmag.bsky.social debuted the new Checkpoints series, which will run between issues! Drew Byrd took us off to the races with a granular analysis of Kirby Air Riders' physics I dare you to find a funnier article that includes the formula Ek=½mv^2

Announcing Checkpoints, a concept designed to highlight more great writing and give y'all something to chew on between Deleted Saves issues! The inimitable Drew Byrd kicks us off with a deep dive into Kirby Air Riders' physics. www.deletedsaves.com/checkpoints-...

highly recommended for people who enjoy reading about Stats in games

Always great writing happening over at Stop Caring.

Announcing Checkpoints, a concept designed to highlight more great writing and give y'all something to chew on between Deleted Saves issues! The inimitable Drew Byrd kicks us off with a deep dive into Kirby Air Riders' physics. www.deletedsaves.com/checkpoints-...

In the ultimate crossover episode, @stevenstoermer.bsky.social of Deleted Saves writes about Battlefield 6 for friend of the site @stopcar.ing

*tapping the sign again* www.deletedsaves.com/painting-the...

Deleted Saves will run paid special features to help support those affected by the closure of Paste/Endless Mode. These will run outside the quarterly cadence to put money in pockets faster. Pitch me at [email protected]. Literally anything you want.

Games criticism owes so much to Garrett Martin. Quietly one of the most influential people in the space, a guy who was happy to publish anyone that had something interesting to say. A shame AV Club is shuttering its games coverage. End of an era, long live Paste Games

Hey if you're impacted by layoffs/closure at the AV Club I'd love to figure out how @unwinnable.com can support you! Especially if you have something that won't see the light of day anymore!

Loved this recent video game essay by Lex Joy @aeneas-nin.bsky.social It’s about a strange, existential edge case in an otherwise cozy RPG. Soft-locking as accidental storytelling. But my favorite part is that you can just feel the kindness in its DNA. [Vol. 2 of @deletedsavesmag.bsky.social ]

Deleted Saves is open for pitches for Issue #4. This issue is all about gambling and the ways gaming intersects with it: loot boxes, gacha, the machine zone. Pay is $275 per piece. Email deletedsaves at gmail dot com. Please review the guidelines below. www.deletedsaves.com/about/

Deleted Saves is open for pitches for Issue #4. This issue is all about gambling and the ways gaming intersects with it: loot boxes, gacha, the machine zone. Pay is $275 per piece. Email deletedsaves at gmail dot com. Please review the guidelines below. www.deletedsaves.com/about/

Grats @lesbiankakyoin.bsky.social on having your essay for Deleted Saves Issue #2 mentioned in Ludica! If you haven't read it yet, find it below! www.deletedsaves.com/a-tale-of-tw...

www.deletedsaves.com featured alongside some absolutely phenomenal publications you should read and support. Thanks @plante.bsky.social for compiling this and including us!

If you like these then you'd probably also like @exalclaw.com's essay about Cartoon Cartoon Summer Resort from Deleted Saves Issue #1 www.deletedsaves.com/cartoon-cart...

ICYMI: in Deleted Saves Issue #2, @ashlikeadragon.bsky.social reviews the many deaths of Yakuza's Kazuma Kiryu. www.deletedsaves.com/please-let-t...

Hell yeah! Some love for @deletedsavesmag.bsky.social and the world's greatest fishing RPG!

“Kiryu's chest is ripped open by the hungry beak of his past ad infinitum, and all he can do is grit his teeth.” BARS BARS BARS

"If you yearn for the end of strife, you must slash the evil that sustains it at the root."

"Self-sacrifice has become a Promethean exercise; he’s faced heartbreak after heartbreak, loss after loss, torture after torture for trying to save the lives of those he loves."

Deleted Saves #2 - Spring 2026 is now live! @aeneas-nin.bsky.social finds dark depths in Legend of the River King. @ashlikeadragon.bsky.social reviews Kazuma Kiryu's too long tenure. @lesbiankakyoin.bsky.social brings a double dose of NieR and 100 Line analysis www.deletedsaves.com/deleted-save...

Deleted Saves issue #2 will arrive in April with absolutely incredible work from some of my favorite critical essayists. It's been a joy working with them to bring this issue together. Follow here or subscribe at deletedsaves.com to get notified when the Spring issue drops!

Thank you to everyone who sent in your pitches for the upcoming issue! We got so many great pitches that Deleted Saves #2 (Spring) and #3 (Summer) are now fully planned. We will remain open for pitches but will not make any editorial decision for issue #4 (Fall 2026) until later this year.

I have never played this game, but it brought back memories of the internet as it was when I was younger, when the internet was a place you had to go to a specific room to visit, a place that we can never really return to. It made me think about beloved flash games on PBS and Newgrounds.

If you haven't yet subscribed, sign up below to get alerted when Deleted Saves #2 drops! It's free! www.deletedsaves.com#/portal/

Congrats to @stopcar.ing for scoring a Critical Distance mention on your piece for Deleted Saves #1! If you haven't read Artemis' piece yet, find it here! www.deletedsaves.com/painting-the...

Deleted Saves needs artist(s)! I am interested in commissioning a logo, as well as art to integrate into future issues. If you are an artist or know one, please email me at deletedsaves at gmail dot com to start the conversation. Thank you!

Deleted Saves is open for pitches for Issue #2 - Spring 2026! Send your ideas to deletedsaves at gmail dot com. We focus on critical analysis of games and are open to new and experienced writers alike! Pay is $275/piece.

I grew up during the flash game boom and if I could only name a single one that encapsulated that experience or influenced me and my taste in games -- first of all that would be very very hard -- but secondly Cartoon Cartoon Summer Resort would be a strong contender for the spot.

"while graphics are temporary, style is timeless"

So happy I can finally show off my contribution to @deletedsavesmag.bsky.social I wrote about Metal Gear Solid Delta and what is lost on the sacrificial altar of remakes and high-fidelity graphics. Needless to say: I was not a fan of the Snake Eater remake.

...and @deletedsavesmag.bsky.social editor-in-chief @stevenstoermer.bsky.social reflects on his annual pilgrimage into the Constant, where he and his wife chase bunnies so they don't starve.

YAY YAY I CAN FINALLY TALK ABOUT THIS So happy to be featured on @stevenstoermer.bsky.social ‘s new site Deleted Saves alongside Artemis. I wrote about my odd relationship with Cartoon Cartoon Summer Resort, an okay 2000 web browser game that I keep replaying for some reason

The first issue of Deleted Saves is now live! The Winter 2025 issue features pieces by @exalclaw.bsky.social, @stopcar.ing, and @stevenstoermer.bsky.social about games which evoke a special kind of nostalgia. www.deletedsaves.com/deleted-save...