Game File reporter Stephen Totilo revealed on December 8, 2025, details about a crucial preservation effort that saved decades of gaming journalism history. In 2019, the Video Game History Foundation partnered with Game Informer to digitize over 25 terabytes of historical materials spanning the magazine’s run dating back to its 1991 debut. This forward-thinking five-week archival mission proved essential when GameStop abruptly shut down Game Informer in August 2024, laying off all staff and taking the website offline without warning.
The preservation project captured materials used to produce the magazine over 33 years, including interviews, development documents, photographs, videos, and behind-the-scenes content that would have been permanently lost when GameStop closed the publication. Without the Video Game History Foundation’s 2019 effort, one of gaming’s most comprehensive archives of industry history would have vanished when all Game Informer website URLs were redirected to a simple closure statement, erasing over a decade of online articles, reviews, and original reporting.
The Sudden Shutdown of Game Informer
On Friday, August 2, 2024, GameStop summoned Game Informer employees to a meeting led by the company’s Vice President of Human Resources. Staff were informed that the publication would shut down immediately, with all employees laid off and severance packages initiated. At least one team member was on a work trip when the announcement came, learning about their job loss remotely. The decision came without warning to the editorial team, who were approximately 70 percent finished with the next issue featuring what content director Kyle Hilliard described as a fantastic cover.
Issue 367, featuring Dragon Age: The Veilguard on the cover, became Game Informer’s final edition. The entire website was taken offline, with all URLs redirecting to a generic farewell statement. The Game Informer Twitter account posted a goodbye message, though sources confirmed it wasn’t written by any team member. Former video producer Ben Hanson speculated the statement was AI-generated, expressing anger at GameStop’s insincere handling of the closure after 33 years.
The Loss to Gaming Journalism
Game Informer represented the United States’ oldest and longest-running gaming publication, one of the last physical gaming magazines globally. Beyond the monthly print magazine, Game Informer maintained an extensive website, produced a weekly podcast, and created online documentaries focusing on game developers. The publication was known for in-depth articles, exclusive interviews, and comprehensive coverage of major game releases including Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Star Wars Outlaws.
When GameStop took the website offline, decades of articles, reviews, and original stories chronicling the video game industry disappeared from public access. A notable feature on retro game studio Digital Eclipse discussing gaming history and preservation became inaccessible. A piece highlighting Game Informer’s renowned game vault, showcasing releases from the magazine’s extensive history, also vanished. For researchers, historians, and fans trying to trace gaming’s evolution, this sudden deletion of primary source materials created an information black hole.
The Video Game History Foundation’s Mission
The Video Game History Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving, celebrating, and teaching the history of video games. Founded in 2017, the foundation has built the first dedicated video game history research library, collected rare behind-the-scenes materials, built pop-up museum exhibits, and even recovered lost art for video game companies. Their work addresses the gaming industry’s notorious problems with preservation, where companies frequently lose source code, abandon online games that become unplayable, and discard development materials that document creative processes.
The foundation’s Game Informer Project began in 2019 when they recognized the magazine’s unique position as a comprehensive archive of gaming history. Game Informer’s Minneapolis office housed physical materials accumulated since 1991, including interview tapes, development documents, promotional materials sent by publishers, photographs from industry events, and internal communications documenting how gaming journalism evolved alongside the industry itself.
The Five-Week Digital Preservation Sprint
Over five weeks in 2019, Video Game History Foundation personnel worked with Game Informer staff to systematically digitize the magazine’s physical archives. The effort captured over 25 terabytes of historical information, a staggering amount that reflects the comprehensive nature of Game Informer’s material collection. To put that in perspective, 25TB could hold approximately 6.25 million high-resolution photos, thousands of hours of video footage, or millions of documents and interview transcripts.
The timing proved fortuitous. In 2019, Game Informer was still operating without immediate threat of closure, giving the foundation access and cooperation from staff who understood the historical importance of their archives. GameStop had already begun cutting costs and reducing Game Informer’s staff, but the publication remained operational with enough resources to support the preservation project. Had the foundation waited even a year or two, the opportunity might have vanished.
What Was Saved
While specific details about every preserved item haven’t been publicly disclosed, the 25TB archive likely includes interview recordings with developers discussing games that defined generations, behind-the-scenes documents showing how major games were developed and marketed, photographs from trade shows and industry events spanning decades, video footage of game reveals and developer demonstrations, email correspondence with publishers and developers, and internal Game Informer communications showing how editorial decisions were made and stories developed.
This material represents irreplaceable primary sources for understanding gaming history. Academic researchers studying the game industry, documentary filmmakers examining gaming culture, and journalists investigating how specific games came to be can now access materials that would otherwise be permanently lost. The archive captures not just the games themselves but the ecosystem surrounding their creation, marketing, and critical reception.
The Ryan Cohen Factor
Game Informer’s closure occurred under GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen’s leadership, during which he emphasized extreme frugality and criticized what he deemed money wasters who didn’t contribute to company success. Cohen became CEO after GameStop’s 2021 meme stock phenomenon, where retail investors coordinated to drive the struggling retailer’s stock price to unprecedented levels. However, the stock surge didn’t translate into sustainable business transformation, and GameStop continued declining as physical game sales shifted overwhelmingly to digital distribution.
Cohen’s social media activity during Game Informer’s final months included posting about the 2024 election rather than addressing the magazine’s future or thanking employees for decades of work. Former Bed Bath and Beyond is suing Cohen for forty-seven million dollars in alleged insider trading gains. The combination of financial pressure, leadership philosophy emphasizing cost-cutting over brand preservation, and apparent disregard for Game Informer’s cultural value created conditions where shuttering the magazine felt inevitable to industry observers.
The Preservation Crisis in Gaming
Game Informer’s near-loss highlights broader preservation crises throughout the gaming industry. Companies routinely lose source code for classic games, making remasters or ports technically challenging or impossible. Square Enix lost source code for Kingdom Hearts and other titles. BioWare’s source code for Mass Effect’s Pinnacle Station DLC became corrupted. Many games never receive re-releases because companies lack the original materials needed to reverse-engineer them for modern platforms.
Digital storefronts closing removes access to purchased games, as demonstrated when Sony attempted shutting down the PS3 and Vita stores before fan backlash forced reversal. Online-only games become unplayable when publishers shut down servers, erasing experiences that can never be recreated. The Library of Congress and other archival institutions struggle to preserve games because copyright law restricts their ability to make copies for preservation purposes, and obsolete hardware makes running old games increasingly difficult.
Stephen Totilo’s Reporting
Stephen Totilo, who broke many details about the Game Informer preservation effort, is an independent games journalist running Game File, a Substack newsletter focused on video game business and culture. Totilo has over 20 years of experience covering games, previously serving as Editor-in-Chief at Kotaku, co-authoring Axios Gaming newsletter, and reporting for MTV News. His commitment to investigative journalism and preservation advocacy has made him one of the most respected voices in games media.
Totilo’s reporting on the Video Game History Foundation’s 2019 preservation work didn’t receive widespread attention until after GameStop shut down Game Informer, when the significance became clear. His article emphasizes how forward-thinking preservation efforts can save irreplaceable materials from corporate decisions that prioritize short-term finances over cultural legacy. By documenting what was saved and why it matters, Totilo ensures the story of Game Informer’s preservation becomes part of the historical record itself.
Accessing the Archive
The Video Game History Foundation’s library includes most of the 368 issues from Game Informer’s original run in digital format. According to their records, the collection also includes a digital copy of the email GameStop sent to subscribers when discontinuing the magazine and a final letter from the editor written after the 2024 shutdown. However, public access to the complete 25TB archive remains limited, as the foundation must navigate copyright restrictions and agreements with Game Informer stakeholders.
Researchers and journalists can contact the Video Game History Foundation to request access to specific materials for legitimate scholarly or historical purposes. The foundation evaluates requests based on research goals, copyright considerations, and resource availability. While not everything is available for casual browsing, the materials exist for future generations rather than being permanently lost, which represents the preservation effort’s ultimate success.
FAQs
When did GameStop shut down Game Informer?
GameStop closed Game Informer on August 2, 2024, laying off all staff immediately and taking the website offline. The 33-year-old magazine’s final issue was number 367 featuring Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
How much Game Informer content was preserved?
The Video Game History Foundation digitized over 25 terabytes of historical materials during a five-week mission in 2019, capturing decades of materials used to produce the magazine dating back to its 1991 debut.
Why did GameStop close Game Informer?
GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen emphasized extreme frugality and cost-cutting as the retail chain struggled with declining physical game sales. The closure saved operational costs but eliminated a publication with significant cultural and historical value.
Can the public access Game Informer’s preserved archives?
The Video Game History Foundation maintains the archives but public access is limited. Researchers can request access for legitimate scholarly purposes. The foundation must navigate copyright restrictions when providing materials.
What happened to Game Informer’s website?
GameStop took the entire website offline immediately after closure. All URLs redirect to a simple farewell statement, erasing over a decade of online articles, reviews, and original journalism from public access.
Who is Stephen Totilo?
Stephen Totilo is an independent games journalist running Game File newsletter. He has over 20 years covering gaming, previously serving as Kotaku Editor-in-Chief and co-authoring Axios Gaming. He reported on the Game Informer preservation effort.
What is the Video Game History Foundation?
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2017 dedicated to preserving, celebrating, and teaching video game history. They built the first dedicated video game history research library and work to save gaming materials from permanent loss.
Were Game Informer employees warned about the closure?
No, staff received no warning. They were summoned to a meeting on Friday, August 2, 2024, and informed of immediate shutdown with layoffs and severance. Some employees were on work trips when they lost their jobs.
Conclusion
The Video Game History Foundation’s 2019 preservation of Game Informer’s 25-terabyte archive represents exactly why dedicated preservation organizations matter. Without their forward-thinking effort, GameStop’s abrupt 2024 closure would have permanently erased 33 years of gaming journalism history, development documents, interviews, and behind-the-scenes materials that can never be recreated. The story serves as both triumph and warning: triumph that crucial materials were saved, warning that so much gaming history remains vulnerable to corporate decisions prioritizing short-term finances over cultural legacy. As the gaming industry continues maturing, preservation must become a priority rather than an afterthought. Companies lose source code, shut down online games, and delete archives without considering historical significance. Organizations like the Video Game History Foundation fill the gap, racing against time and corporate indifference to save what they can before it vanishes forever. Game Informer’s preservation shows what’s possible when archivists act proactively rather than reactively. For gaming culture, journalism, and history, those 25 terabytes represent not just saved data but saved memory of an entire industry’s evolution.