Breaks my heart to share this, but today is my last day at The Verge and I am looking for work! I'd really like to stay in video games, preferably in some kind of journalistic capacity but I can do PR/Marketing and maybe even a lil Narrative Design. Please get in touch! www.ashparrish.com

Another outlet gone and less freelance budget than ever at the places still left for those newly laid off writers. Sure feels like you are slowly watching the tide come in and swallow up everything.

Shannon is one of the nicest and most helpful editors I have ever had the pleasure of working with. Definitely snap her up while you can.

Inverse has decided to "divest from gaming content" so I'm out of a job again! This is almost certainly the end of my career in games media, and probably the end of my writing career. I'd love for that not to be the case, so I'd appreciate any leads but I'm honestly not hopeful for obvious reasons♥️

Inverse's Gaming section is being shut down as the company "divests" from gaming content. I'm out of a job along with my wonderful co-writers. I've put my heart and soul into this job for four years. Gonna need to take time to process, but I'm now completely open for work - and boy do I need it.

Paid my tax bill, so excuse me while I go cry into my wallet.

Went to London to play Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties. Playing the game feels like watching a monkey's paw curl right in front of you: it massively improves almost every problem with the original, but the recasting introduces some extremely frustrating new ones. www.gamerguides.com/yakuza-kiwam...

This is CRAZY, honestly. Carried Massive through the last 10 years and leaving at this stage of The Division 3 makes me wonder how that development is going. Also, makes you think EA are keen to make a Battlefield looter shooter/RPG.

Gonna be the first to say this is quite literally a fascist speech. Listened to the whole thing and its hauntingly similar to some of Trump's early speeches at times. Meanwhile Labour are sat on their asses, twiddling their thumbs, waiting for them to take over. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cr...

Booked a doctor's appointment for the first time in like 7 years, and why is it like having to complete a citizenship form that is filled with 25 sections of checkboxes. I remember when you could ring up, tell them the basic problem, and get an appointment on the same day.

Pretty surprised to see people shocked that the colour palette, vibe, and look of the show when they are adults is not like the hormone-fuelled kaleidoscopes of parties and drugs. It has been too long for Season 3, but I trust the majority of these actors came back for a reason.

On a train to London for work. Crazy this will probably be one of the final times I make this trip.

Do you ever just look at everything going on. Realise our brains weren't meant to see all this horrible shit and want to run away into the woods

An abysmal grind is finally done in Battlefield 6

Thought I was emotionally prepared for Hamnet. I was not.

Just found out my wife might be losing her job, so I'm desperately searching for work. Contract, full-time, freelance, whatever. Press, PR, consulting, anything. I have 16 years of editorial experience and have been writing about games for 13. Reviews, news, previews, guides, etc. RTs appreciated.

Took him one fucking week, meanwhile over here Labour are still saying they cant do anything 18 months into running the government.

The Traitors once again proving the theory that most British people are racist even when they think they aren't.

Perfect timing because in 2027/2028 we absolutely will all need to spend some time killing Nazis after the 4 years of hell before it's release.

Currently going after all the achievements in Battlefield 6 and Redsec, and desperately need to know who decided we need to revive teammates 4,000 times to earn two achievements. One of the worst grinds I have ever seen in my time trophy/achievement hunting.

OH HEY I INTERVIEWED LENNY KRAVITZ?

State of this country. Having to wait 2 and a half months for an appointment that pre-COVID would have been a 2-3 week max wait.

Gonna need a doctor or Psychologist to study Red Dead Redemption 2 and tell me what Rockstar drugged this game with. It is making me so sleepy. Wanting to drift off while playing which I have never had with anything else.

Now that the break is over, it's time to get back to work. Anyone looking for a producer, creative director or lead, writer/editor — freelance or staff — please reach out! I appreciate any leads, too. Stay sane and safe in 2026, everyone.

Awful to hear. Didnt really know Patrick outside of some brief DM convos but know a few people who were good friends with him. They always talked highly of him.

Microsoft has been steadily becoming stupider and stupider, but renaming your work-based apps to your shitty AI chatbot not even AI nerds like is an awful decision long term.

Nice to see Valnet entering 2026 not changing anything about they way they act. Hugely sorry to everyone going through it.

Going to be stuck in A&E for most of the morning and it stuns me how you can list everything to NHS 111 and absolutely none of that gets passed through to anyone else when you turn up at A&E after they ask you to. Forcing you to say the whole thing again.

I was 3 when the Iraq war kicked off, so no memory of it, but it sure is crazy to hear a head of country repeating all the same lies as if people will just believe it.

Just woke up, three days into the year and jesus christ.

My current theory for the Secret Traitor, on #TheTraitors is this guy, Jack. They specifically showed us the clip where he says he plays chess every day and competitively, is strategic, and good at reading people. This kind of role in the background suits him perfectly honestly.

Quite literally gibberish nonsense a movie villain would say. "New equilibrium" "Cognitive amplifier tools". These people are talking out there arse and always have been.

Would not be surprised if Bloober are working on the Saw thing. As for John Wick, my hope is it is the Devil May Cry team at Capcom. But, my off the wall pick would be Hundred Star Games, from the Rocksteady founders.

Nothing like ringing in the new year with a flurry of AI generated slop and emojis showing up in my messages.

Huge thanks to everyone I crossed paths with or gave me gigs this year for making it a good deal better. It has felt like a pretty meandering year with too much going on outside of work, as well. But, 2026 will hopefully be a lot better for us all.

Pretty hard to believe 2025 is over. Been an odd year, feeling stagnant. However there have been some highlights (Gamescom). Weird to be in a mindset, having accepted I am probably exiting the industry by Summer (still have a few things lined up before then). Bittersweet but it is the right decision

That Vince Zampella news is so sad. One of the few creative leads that was truly a titan of the genre they worked in. Really helped shape almost 25 years of FPS games.

GIANT BOMB'S GAME OF THE YEAR STARTS IN EARNST WITH *checks notes* Doctor Hockey, AKA The Dark Echo, AKA Jerf(?) giantbomb.com/articles/jef...

Trying to fathom how it is less than 2 weeks till 2026. Entire year has just flown by and largely feel like I have wasted most of it.

Timothee really out here doing the most for Marty Supreme.

Jesus christ, 2028

Once again, despite all the promises from upper management, it all goes out the window when it comes down to money. Universal experience everywhere.

I mean this looks miles better than last May. Seems like the game got the overhaul it needed. Still concerned that classes will break the balance and the PvP faction worries me but like the look of a lot of this and I'm hopeful it can deliver something engaging and exciting.

Dylan Faden trapped in a version of NYC. Who else was trapped in a version of NYC? Just saying.

Fuck, didn't know I needed this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Riav...

Flying Wild Hog making this Tomb Raider 1 remake initially makes zero sense and then you remember them and Crystal are both owned by Embracer.

Feel like I have been hearing about this game for 10 years.

This show is going to be 4 hours long isn't it.

Just want to play Pragmata again after going hands on back in August.

Big step up for the studio. Like the premise, hope they can avoid Krafton fuckery.