It's back! The annual video game industry conflict minerals report returns for 2025! Let's see which gaming hardware companies are actually checking their supply chains to ensure they're not funding armed conflict and human rights violations, shall we?

This week, we chat to Johnny Galvatron about making @mixtapegame.bsky.social – he tells us about building "nostalgia of the heart, not of the era" and how Beethoven & Dinosaur is building its portfolio like (you guessed it) a mixtape. Sign up here to read more on Friday: bit.ly/knowledgenewsletter

I hadn't talked to Evil Empire since 2023 and the Castlevania DLC so it was truly lovely to go full circle with Benjamin Laulan, now making an actual real Castlevania game! We also talked about their own IP, how the Triple-I showcase is what set things in motion for Brotato live ops and SO MUCH MORE

happy Moomintroll day to those who celebrate 🙂‍↕️🌬️

This is an extraordinary, searing interview. In the context of the repulsive new Jackson biopic, it raises questions about why so many people just don’t want to know what he did. FWIW I saw Leaving Neverland before HBO pulled it, and I absolutely believe those kids.

I was on holiday! Now 💫 I'm back 💫 and you know that rain or shine Ill always find ways to write about Tove Jansson's work. So surprising no one whatsoever, check out this week’s issue to read my chat with Are about the release of Moomintroll Winter's Warmth (which I'm very much looking forward to!)

A real pleasure to talk about @allwillrise.bsky.social with @joostvervoort.bsky.social – a very interesting (and important) project that's on Kickstarter until the end of the week. Check it out if you haven't already and read more about it on Friday ofc!! www.kickstarter.com/projects/spe...

Do you work in games? Are you tired of corporate greed taking over our industry? Do you miss when industry events were by workers, for workers? The United Videogame Workers of CWA, in partnership with other unions and worker-centered organizations, announce the #GameWorkersConference. May 22-23 ❤️‍🔥

This week we analyse Xbox's leadership shake-up but also talk to @nyamakop.co.za about the recent release of Africanfuturist heist game Relooted. Ben Myres tells us about its cultural impact and the challenges of making African-themed, African-inspired games. Sign up: bit.ly/knowledgenewsletter

The new edition of Edge, available next week, crowns the winners of 2025. In this week’s Knowledge, read a preview extract from Edge 419's full-blown eight-page interview with Sandfall Interactive about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's success. Sign up to read more on Friday: bit.ly/knowledgenewsletter

“Don’t gather some of the most brilliant activists in the industry, treat us like crap, and then expect us to do nothing about it.” After the Game Awards cancelled its Future Class programme, @alyssamerc.bsky.social talked to its former honorees www.theguardian.com/games/2025/n...

This is next week!! 👀 There’s still space so why don’t you join us for breakfast next Thursday in London? Our most excellent panelists will discuss survival strategies and all sorts. Sign up here bit.ly/knowledgelive k thx bye

Probably gonna go on about this repeatedly over the next few days so apologies but LOOK we have a cool banner now!! Our very first panel discussion is open to everyone who works in games, join us on November 20! 💫 bit.ly/knowledgelive 💫

We are hosting Knowledge Live with Citizen Sleeper's Gareth Damian Martin, Hannah Flynn of Failbetter and more special guests in London on the morning of November 20, ahead of this year's Golden Joystick Awards. If you work in the game industry, apply for a free ticket here: bit.ly/knowledgelive

I'm going to be hosting @edgeknowledge.bsky.social's first live panel discussion in London on November 20, featuring @newjorg.bsky.social, @itshannahflynn.bsky.social, @jumpovertheage.com and Agostino Simonetta. Sign up here (for free): docs.google.com/forms/d/1EQ7...

Come and get the Knowledge

Join us in London for a cool panel on November 20 before you get partying at the awards 💫 tinyurl.com/2umcuzwn

Been waiting for Consume Me since discovering it at the V&A in 2018 and it was an absolute pleasure to talk to AP and Jenny about it finally releasing 🙌 Play Consume Me, 💫 it's very good 💫

The Play for Peace: Games for Palestine charity bundle is now live! Nearly 400 games from creators all around the world, with proceeds going directly to Gaza relief efforts. Bundle link: itch.io/b/2979/play-... We made a launch trailer to celebrate this moment👇 Please RT.

Oh? 👀 What’s this???

I had a lovely chat with Wizards of the Coast's president yesterday where I *almost* managed to stay professional and not nerd out about D&D and Baldur's Gate. So as I reward you should all read it when it comes out on Friday pls and thank you

Wizards of the Coast just hired 15 staff formerly at Cliffhanger Games, including veteran Michael De Plater. We've chatted to WotC president John Hight about its ambitious plans for digital gaming, and you can read all about it in Friday's issue. Sign up here: bit.ly/knowledgenewsletter

In the four years I've been at IGN I've watched its staff shrink and shrink, all while those who remain are asked to do more and more. I see colleagues skip lunch, stay late day after day, and burn out. IGN staff are passionate and love their work. But we can't keep letting that be exploited.

The biggest shoutout to Alan (@damisanthrope.bsky.social) for covering Gamescom for Knowledge 🙌 Sign up below if you want to get a feel for the show and how it reflects what the industry is going through, plus hear from @playstack.com CEO Harvey Elliott about life after Balatro (and much much more!)

This week, we talk to Kippie about getting more girls into STEM, and the non-profit's work teaching kids from underrepresented backgrounds how to code and make games. Sign up to get it straight in your inbox on Friday at 2pm BST: bit.ly/knowledgenewsletter

BAFTA member babyyy 💅 joke aside: I'm very proud, it feels very meaningful and, if you had told me in 2015 when I arrived in the UK that this would happen, I wouldn't have believed it. Will this be enough to fight impostor syndrome? I can't wait to find out! (thanks @baftagames.bsky.social!)

Right, so not really sure how to say this but I’ve sadly been made redundant from Neonhive / CULT. I’m currently open to new working opportunities. I’ve got a few freelance gigs lined up for July, but if anyone knows any games PR, Brand, or marketing roles going, I would love to hear about them!

If you missed last week's issue, Patrick Garratt reflected on six months and 15 issues of Knowledge. He ponders over the various types of fish in the videogame media pond, ways the industry has evolved and how, ultimately, the more things change, the more they stay the same:

As the dust settles on the Switch 2 launch, how did it go down in its homeland? David McCarthy reports from Japan and explains how, without breaking a sweat, Nintendo delivered Switch 2 launch fever. Read all about in this week's Knowledge issue, out Friday. Sign up here: bit.ly/knowledgenewsletter

Packed issue this week, if I should say so myself 🙌

In this week’s issue, we talk to Ubisoft’s creative director Fawzi Mesmar about creativity, how the rise of gen AI challenges creators to go beyond inevitable ideas, the state of triple-A, and more. Sign up to get it in your inbox on Friday: bit.ly/knowledgenewsletter

Witcher 4 senior animator Julius Girbig and Wyeth Johnson, Epic's senior director of product strategy, talk to Knowledge in this Friday's issue about Unreal Engine and its impact on the development one of the world's biggest games. Live this Friday at 2pm GMT. Sign up here: bit.ly/knowledgenew...

What is a realistic budget range for an independent game? Rob Fahey has a stab at the debate, which is simultaneously a "how long is a piece of string" question and a crucial one for many creatives. Sign up to read his answer in this Friday's issue: bit.ly/knowledgenewsletter

The new normal, what European players want, solo dev woes, why wishlists are not enough, and more... If you missed @nordicgame.com, sign up for this week's issue and get our takeaways from the show, straight into your inbox on Friday: bit.ly/knowledgenewsletter

📣 I'll be at Nordic next week! Wanna have a chat? You can reach out on [email protected] or DM me 💫

📣 I'll be at Nordic next week! Wanna have a chat? You can reach out on [email protected] or DM me 💫

Today's issue features UKIE on how to grow game studios in the UK, Exoborne story lead (and ex-The Division director) Martin Hultberg on narrative in online survival shooters, and record-breaking news on some random game no one's ever heard of. Live at 2pm UK. Sign up here: bit.ly/knowledgenew...

In this week’s issue, we look at the latest UK market figures from @ukieofficial.bsky.social and talk to the trade body about how to successfully scale up, where the opportunities are for UK indies in 2025, and more. Sign up for free and get a new issue every Friday: bit.ly/knowledgenewsletter

In response to the Polygon and Giant Bomb news, I created an indie and worker-owned games media starter pack. I’ll keep adding to it, so suggestions and recommendations are greatly appreciated. Please share!

Rob Fahey is back in Knowledge, this week looking into the ins and outs of Game Pass and answer the burning question: is it the right platform for all games? Audience dynamics differ between systems, and so do audience tastes. Sign up to read all about it on Friday: bit.ly/knowledgenewsletter

I know Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is all the rage rn (and I will get to it!) but I'm still deep into Blue Prince and won't rest until every trophy has been acquired. Catch up with my Tonda Ros interview below 👇

London friends! Wanna do something good for your trans and nb friends IN YOUR VERY OWN CITY?? How donating to Goal Diggers FC, a trans inclusive women's football club! They're splitting donations 50/50 with trans+ charity Not A Phase Org! TRANS FUCKING RIGHTS www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding...

I love it when my latest obsession is also everyone's obsession cause that means I get to write about it 💎 (I will try really hard to hide my contempt for the pump room in the final draft) Anyway sign up if all you can think about is Blue Prince so you can then read more about Blue Prince on Friday!

It’s Friday and you know what that means: a new issue of Knowledge is out today, featuring Havok GM David Coghlan and David McCarthy reporting on Japanese perceptions of the Switch 2 reveal. Plus the industry stories of the week, testimonies, advice and more. Sign up now: bit.ly/knowledgenewsletter

'There are so few of us left': Even full-time games journalists at big websites are feeling it in 2025: aftermath.site/video-games-jo...

ICYMI, the inimitable Rob Fahey made his debut on Knowledge last week, analysing Nintendo's Switch 2 reveal 👇 "How Switch 2 performs in the face of pricing challenges will be watched carefully by other hardware companies," he wrote… (1/4)

I was part of a BAFTA jury this year and I'm so happy to finally be able to share it cause it honestly was such a fantastic experience 🙌 Congrats to Helldivers 2 for winning the Multiplayer category, and thanks to @baftagames.bsky.social for a wonderful time 💞

We're hiring not just one, but TWO organizers to come help unionize the UK games industry. Know anyone who might be interested? (reposts appreciated)

Honestly so happy about how this week's issue has been coming together off the back of the Switch 2 reveal, with the support of some incredible writers! Sign up and read their words, pls and thank u 🍄