Traditional Games Coverage and the Resurrection of the Iconic Magazine: An Interview with Game Informer's Kyle Hilliard

 

As you've no doubt heard by now, the iconic gaming publication Game Informer is back. I couldn't be more excited, personally. Game Informer is one of my favorite news sources for video game coverage, and I have a ton of nostalgia for their old podcast and YouTube "Let's Play" series. They're also one of the last mainstream old-school publications that hasn't taken a full-on nosedive into SEO-farming clickbait articles or modern political discussions that have no place on a gaming-centric website. Not to mention, they actually did proper journalism. Like traveling somewhere (sometimes across the world) to interview developers and put together a massive package of information to share with their readers and break news. Game Informer's purity is commendable in this day and age.

 

One of their Executive Editors, Kyle Hilliard, was kind and gracious enough to take some questions that I had and provide some thoughtful answers that I hope you find interesting. It's not a long interview, but I found it informative and thought-provoking. We explore the changing landscape of video games coverage in the world of "influencers" and streamers. We talk about gaming magazines, which is a passion of mine. We also touch on the nature of the relationship between Game Informer and their new owner, Gunzilla Games, a European developer known for their usage of NFTs and their affiliation with Hollywood director, Neill Blomkamp.

 

How does it feel for Game Informer to be back? I have to imagine you haven’t stopped pinching yourself. As shocked as I was to see G.I. so unceremoniously shuttered, I figured every gaming magazine had an expiration date of some sort, just with the way gaming news coverage has shifted. I say that just to say that I was even more shocked to see Game Informer suddenly back from the dead.

It definitely was surprising, and continues to be surprising. We had discussions about it
potentially happening following the closure, but I was very pessimistic throughout the whole
process. And then one day I had an official job offer. It was exciting to relaunch, but now I feel a pressure for Game Informer to be good and to live up to expectations, and also be better than it previously was. We're excited about the future.

 

What do you think about quality written games coverage in 2025? We’ve seen many publications shift to SEO-driven clickbait, seemingly just to survive in this new landscape with YouTube and Twitch garnering a large swath of the audience that used to tune into IGN, GameSpot, and the other major sites. There are a million smaller blogs like mine that are trying to claw their way into the written side of gaming journalism and news coverage. We see a void that was left behind; a place for quality, authentic writing to hopefully find an audience. Do you think the industry will see a return to favoring larger publications with teams of reviewers and writers under one masthead, or will it stay centered around individual personalities, streamers and influencers?

The power of individual personalities, streamers, and influencers is undeniable. That newer
approach to covering games is not going anywhere. There are also plenty of writing-focused gaming coverage outlets that I appreciate and read often. I definitely get frustrated with the SEO-focused writing about games that has become pervasive. I don’t like that Google now
dictates how writing of any kind is structured on the internet and I especially don’t like how it is using the content from various websites to generate AI summaries without meaningful attribution. I do pine for when the quality of the writing was more important than the integration of SEO practices. I don't know that we will ever see a return to larger publications with teams of reviewers (I am sure Game Informer will remain a smaller group for some time), but I hope the growing frustration with AI and content on the internet feeling redundant will lead to interest in unique, quality writing and it will find an audience.

 

Image Credit: TheGamer

What do you think about print games coverage like what you guys have done for the last few decades and plan to bring back? It seems like magazines like Nintendo Force have carved out a nice niche for themselves via Patreon. There are smaller, more niche, retro-focused Sega and PlayStation fan-funded magazines out there too. Do you find that there is a large enough audience to want that old-school mode of flipping through a new magazine to get their gaming news? It’s my preferred method, and I have to imagine that I’m not alone in that. The intentional act of sitting down with a magazine and reading an author’s words, seeing the fan write-ins, etc., is a nice, slightly more contemplative method of reading the news I think.

My hope is that there is an audience that feels similarly to what you outlined in your question. I hope magazines like Nintendo Force and ours will find those people who love video games and want to learn about them, but want a break from staring at a screen and watching videos. I
think people are also learning that just because something is accessible on the internet, and
often even if you pay for it, it doesn't mean it's yours and will always be available. There is a permanence to physical media that makes it truly belong to the person who acquired it. I think of the return of vinyl and its renewed popularity. Sure, there are plenty of ways to listen to music conveniently online, but owning a vinyl of your favorite record means it's truly yours as long as the record works. A magazine is a different type of physical media, admittedly. I don’t think people want to own their favorite issue of a magazine in the same way they want a vinyl from their favorite band, but there is a similar nostalgia that I hope makes people excited to subscribe to physical media again.

 

Are you able to get into how the magazine will work this time around? Will it be monthly? Do you guys anticipate doing those trips to studios and getting cover stories for each issue? I really respected how G.I. kept up that journalistic method of going and getting the story from these studios. It made you guys stand out like you were actually getting your feet on the ground. Also the deep dives for the cover stories were always so thorough and informative. I hope to see that format return for the new iteration of the magazine.

Not much I can share on this front right now, unfortunately. We’re working with printers,
sorting out details, and talking to the publishers and developers we have relationships with about future coverage every day, but it’s safe to say that we aren’t reinventing the wheel when it comes to making Game Informer magazine. We are, however, taking this time to examine what we can change and improve.

 

Image Credit: Gunzilla Games

The last question I had is one that I think a lot of people are curious about. How does the relationship work between you guys and Gunzilla Games? I don’t know that I’ve ever heard of a game developer owning a magazine. I’m a big fan of Neill Blomkamp, but I know people are a little standoffish about the studio’s usage of NFTs. How did Neill and Gunzilla get involved with Game Informer? Was he a big fan of the magazine?

To date, and I say this positively, I have not personally overlapped with Gunzilla in any way. I’ve never been in a meeting with anyone from the studio or anything like that. We are completely separate. I’ve heard secondhand that Blomkamp was familiar with the magazine and likes it, but in terms of how Gunzilla and by extension, Blomkamp got involved, I honestly couldn’t tell you. And to their credit, I think that is by design. Editorial independence was a priority from the beginning and has so far remained that way.

 

Thank you Kyle for taking the time to answer these questions for me. I look forward to seeing what's on Game Informer's horizon.