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Stephen Totilo

@stephentotilo.bsky.social

Reporter covering video games at Game File (gamefile.news). Previously launched games coverage at Axios and MTV News. Was Kotaku EiC. stephen(at)gamefile(dot)news he/him

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Stephen Totilo@stephentotilo.bsky.social · 11h ago

It's time for GAME FILE's SUMMER SALE! First big sale of 2026...23% off annual subs $77 a year (less than $6.42 a month) Your support makes my reporting possible. My commitment: LOTS of original, independent reporting about the business and culture of games... for you! gamefile.news/summersale3

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The business and culture of video games, from a reporter with 20 years on the beat. Click to read Game File, a Substack publication with tens of thousands of subscribers.

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Edmond Tran@edmondtran.bsky.social · yesterday

Thank you for reading and sharing! Please consider supporting our comprehensive, reader-funded + reader-friendly videogame publication. It's 20% off annual subscriptions right now: thisweekinvideogames.com/sign-up/ We're a tiny team doing a massive job but we always got that good shit.

This Week in Videogames@thisweekinvideogames.com · 3w ago

This Week in Videogames has reached its first full year of operation. Thank you to our paid subscribers for helping us sustain an independent, commercial-free, AI-free, and no-nonsense approach to games coverage for everyone. Here's a brief rundown of what we've managed to achieve in Year One:

Stephen Totilo@stephentotilo.bsky.social · 2w ago

Order of the Sinking Star is a complex puzzle game that updates and combines older puzzle games (with permission) Last year, the source games' developers criticized the lead dev of the new game How might those creators be credited in OotSS? It's been changing www.gamefile.news/p/a-complica...

A complicated game

Who gets credit for Order of the Sinking Star? Where should the names appear for the creators of its source material? And would you notice if a great game designer sat next to you?

gamefile.news

Stephen Totilo@stephentotilo.bsky.social · 2w ago

One more good quote from Disney's former CEO: "People say to me: ‘If there are only one or two hits a year your company makes, why are you making 20?’ "I say, ‘You know that? You’re absolutely right. Tell me which two we should make.’”

Stephen Totilo@stephentotilo.bsky.social · 2w ago

NEW: I went to NYC to profile Delphi, an upstart company that orchestrated this year's 007 and FIFA games Disney's former CEO was there, so I got way more: how Disney "failed" at gaming in the 80s, about Disney golf course design, about Captain Eo.... www.gamefile.news/p/delphi-int...

Stephen Totilo@stephentotilo.bsky.social · 2w ago

I hadn't heard someone make this gaming/theater connection before The gaming guy describes how they're patching their FIFA game regularly based on feedback Former Disney CEO Eisner realizes it's like how they'd tweak The Lion King on Broadway based on audience reactions, well after opening

BildEisner says he was surprised that Netflix shared that data. Daugaard points out that data for a video game, especially one that is streamed and can be updated on the fly by its developers, is particularly useful. It can help a studio understand what’s working, what isn’t, what might need to be tweaked. This triggers one of Eisner’s most interesting asides of the afternoon: “The one place I’ve seen that is Broadway. We do a movie, and it’s locked. Yes, we preview it… we’ll go down to Long Beach, we’ll make changes. “But in the theater, and we’ve done Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and a couple others, every night we change it. Even after opening. “So if you can change it, make it better, constantly…that is a real game-changer for that business. I never thought of that. I love that.”
Stephen Totilo@stephentotilo.bsky.social · 2w ago

NEW: I went to NYC to profile Delphi, an upstart company that orchestrated this year's 007 and FIFA games Disney's former CEO was there, so I got way more: how Disney "failed" at gaming in the 80s, about Disney golf course design, about Captain Eo.... www.gamefile.news/p/delphi-int...

Stephen Totilo@stephentotilo.bsky.social · 2w ago

Eisner: “We learned at Disney World: make our golf courses easy. People come down there for a week. Fathers are not that interested in It’s A Small World. Playing golf, they want to think they did well...We don’t need quite as many sand traps. The idea of making something easier resonates with me”

Stephen Totilo@stephentotilo.bsky.social · 2w ago

NEW: I went to NYC to profile Delphi, an upstart company that orchestrated this year's 007 and FIFA games Disney's former CEO was there, so I got way more: how Disney "failed" at gaming in the 80s, about Disney golf course design, about Captain Eo.... www.gamefile.news/p/delphi-int...

Stephen Totilo@stephentotilo.bsky.social · 2w ago

NEW: I went to NYC to profile Delphi, an upstart company that orchestrated this year's 007 and FIFA games Disney's former CEO was there, so I got way more: how Disney "failed" at gaming in the 80s, about Disney golf course design, about Captain Eo.... www.gamefile.news/p/delphi-int...

Meet one of video games' most interesting new companies… wait, Disney's former CEO said what?

All about Delphi Interactive, an out-of-nowhere company that orchestrated this year's big James Bond and FIFA games. And about Delphi backer Michael Eisner, who recently stole the show.

gamefile.news

Stephen Totilo@stephentotilo.bsky.social · 2w ago

South of Midnight just won Game of the Year at the Games For Change festival Microsoft recently said it was selling the studio back to its management From the dev team's speech tonight: "South of Midnight is about raising up to challenging times when it gets tough, about growth, about resilience

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Stephen Totilo@stephentotilo.bsky.social · 2w ago

NEW: Nintendo has asked a court to dismiss a class action suit that argued it must pass its refunds for illegal U.S. tariffs on to consumers who paid more "Plaintiffs are not entitled to a rebate simply because of intervening legal developments related to tariffs” www.gamefile.news/p/nintendo-t...

Nintendo says it has no legal duty to pass its U.S. tariff refunds on to consumers

Asks court to dismiss a class action lawsuit accusing it of potential unjust enrichment.

gamefile.news

Stephen Totilo@stephentotilo.bsky.social · 2w ago

From my latest newsletter, a game publisher actually willing to go on-the-record about Sony's no-discs-for-new-games PlayStation plans Serenity Forge's CEO was diplomatic but clear: "Physical games help us reach audiences that digital often can’t" www.gamefile.news/p/serenity-f...

What discs mean to a publisher of 'meaningful' games

A Game File interview with the head of Serenity Forge about a very hot topic and the implications of Sony's no-new-discs plans.

gamefile.news

Stephen Totilo@stephentotilo.bsky.social · 3w ago

Last night's scoop stemmed from a layoff notice I obtained from Maryland that broke down nearly 400 in-state jobs cut at ZeniMax Online Studios and Bethesda Not just the ZOS studio head and other leaders Over 60 game testers, plus bilingual experts, animators, producers, food service workers...

Stephen Totilo@stephentotilo.bsky.social · 3w ago

BREAKING: Zenimax Online Studios leaders, including studio head, exiting as part of Xbox cuts Studio veterans promoted to take over More context at the link: www.gamefile.news/p/zenimax-on...

Stephen Totilo@stephentotilo.bsky.social · 3w ago

REVIEW: Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced isn't a pirate remake It's a sequel rooted in the events of 2096, where past AC adventures are re-experienced and used as propaganda or samizdat That's right. I'm reviewing the latest AC by reviewing its "modern day" www.gamefile.news/p/assassins-...

47 revelatory hours with Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced

A review in the new Assassin’s Creed's fringes, where some truths about the game can be found.

gamefile.news

Stephen Totilo@stephentotilo.bsky.social · 3w ago

Also in this, how Ubisoft changed the way it describes the potential risk involving the prices of its games A game might falter because of... ... (how they phrased it in 2025) "overpricing" ... (how they phrased it in 2026) "a pricing strategy that may or not devalue the content”

Stephen Totilo@stephentotilo.bsky.social · 4w ago

NEW: Ubisoft's annual report to investors has some interesting changes - A new worry about games coming out too late - Drops mocked claim that microtransactions make games "more fun" - Avg worker pay down 4% - Portion of workers under 30 falls below 20% More here: www.gamefile.news/p/ubisoft-20...

Stephen Totilo@stephentotilo.bsky.social · 4w ago

NEW: Ubisoft's annual report to investors has some interesting changes - A new worry about games coming out too late - Drops mocked claim that microtransactions make games "more fun" - Avg worker pay down 4% - Portion of workers under 30 falls below 20% More here: www.gamefile.news/p/ubisoft-20...

Ubisoft warns of risk of releasing games too late, 'when market anticipation has waned'

Tracking the most notable changes in Ubisoft's new annual report. The company also cut a claim that micro-transactions can make games “more fun.”

gamefile.news